It Takes Two to Love
by kinetic-cataclysm
Summary: Sent to Suna in order to improve their medical program, Hinata is also healing from her rift with her family. Gaara must start his own family if he is to retain the support of his council. As they come to understand each other, can other feelings emerge? -Discontinued-
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The blistering afternoon heat of summer was upon the Hidden Village of the Sand. Even the citizens kept indoors, waiting for the eventual return of night and hopefully a somewhat cool breeze that would enable them to go about their business. However, inside the office of their leader, a different kind of heat was bothering the occupants.

"What did you just say?" his voice was quiet yet strained, and Temari knew that was a bad thing. She fidgeted slightly in her seat before answering him.

"The council has decided they want you to produce an heir, and are willing to set up a marriage for you if you don't get on with it." Even she winced inwardly at the phrasing the council had insisted she use. Their Kazekage was not to be pushed around, and Temari sighed inwardly as she heard his chair scrape across the floor as he stood up.

"Temari, you know-" She cut him off, thankful that her fear of the young man in front of her, her youngest brother, had significantly decreased in the five years he has spent as Kazekage.

"Yes Gaara, I know. Kankuro is now hoarse from trying to explain to those damn fools that it is 'a futile and idiotic effort to keep pestering you about this'." She rolled her eyes as she said the phrase Gaara had used so many times on the council. When she finally settled her eyes on her brother for the first time in the five minutes she had been in his office she almost shivered at the look on his face. The rage she felt emanating from his slim frame was still somewhat terrifying after all of these years, and she noted with wariness that his usually blank aquamarine eyes were darkened in fury. As his hands came crashing down to slam against the wood of his desk Temari did flinch, and quietly listened to her brother vent.

"That's my point! What the fuck do they think they're going to get from this?" Gaara refrained from shouting but there was a distinguishable growl in his voice instead. "Shukaku has been gone for three damn years. They didn't want a child from me while he was still inside of me, it makes no sense that they should want one now. Just because I have somehow maintained a good deal of control over sand, though only about two-thirds of my previous power, does not mean any children I have will carry on the trait. That's even assuming that there's a woman who would be willing to carry the child of the former demon container." He held up a hand at the slight smirk he saw forming on his sister's lips. "Yes Temari, I'm quiet aware that my brief brush with death three years ago earned me a following of shallow fan girls to follow me around as if I were that damn Uchiha." Temari's smirk only widened at that.

"But," and the anger in his voice seemed to melt away, replaced instead by a quiet melancholy. "Even if I did find time between all of my responsibilities as Kazekage to go look for a wife, a girl who will adore me for my position or my powers is not what I want." His face twisted into a bitter smile, and Temari noted how many emotions Gaara was comfortable expressing in the presence of her and Kankuro. She opened her mouth to say something but instantly snapped it shut when Gaara continued, his voice fading into a murmur.

"I would want a wife who would support me as I could support her, could love me and teach me to feel a love besides that for my family or my village. I guess it's greedy of me to want so much when I've already achieved my lifetime goal of being respected and recognized, but everyone else is entitled to love. Why can't a former monster?" He looked down at the desk in front of him, and Temari couldn't help herself but to stand up and walk around the table to lightly put a hand on his shoulder.

"As I said earlier Gaara, Kankuro and I know this already, and I came here to tell you that you might have to deliver a less emotional version of that speech to the council soon. Though who knows, a tear jerker like that might even work on those old coots." She grinned at Gaara as his head snapped up so he could scowl at her. Even as he shifted away from her so he could sit down and she moved back to stand near her former seat, Temari felt happy for her brother; he finally seemed to understand that he could be more than a monster. But unease also stirred within her, for this was one of the largest debates that Gaara and the council hadn't been able to resolve during his years as Kazekage. And Temari was sure that the council only wanted a child with the Gaara's strange powers, but that they could actually control, unlike Gaara.

Gaara started shuffling papers around as Temari looked around. They weren't usually so emotional with each other, and both were trying to reorganize their thoughts as an unfamiliar chakra presence appeared, the person coming up the stairs. The two sand ninja quickly changed positions, Temari turned toward the door with her hand casually draped on her hip near the clasp to her fan while Gaara had moved his hands to be clasped loosely in his lap with sand swirling around his fingers, ready to strike. Things had been peaceful between the Sand and other countries for a while now, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

A few seconds later a quiet knock sounded on the door, answered with an even "Come in," by Gaara. As the door slowly swung open Temari shifted her hand a little higher on her hip, and Gaara made sure his expression had its normal blank neutrality.

"Good afternoon Kazekage-sama, Temari-sama. A young woman walked quietly into the room, her head bowed in respect. Her long ebony hair fell forward to hide her face, leaving her unidentifiable. Temari looked at the woman's sleeves to see if there was any indication of village, but saw none.

"What is your business here in Suna?" Gaara's voice was quiet and emotionless, the normal attitude he showed to people besides his siblings and close friends. However his hands were still in his lap with sand twisting around and through the interlocked fingers just in case. The girl took a step forward so she was level with Temari, and Temari noticed that the girl had her hands held together in front of her, playing with her fingers as if she was nervous.

"I have been sent here by the Hokage of Konoha to help with Suna's medical program since our head medic Sakura Uzumaki is on maternity leave." Her quiet voice barely carried across the small room to Gaara, and he kept himself from frowning at her demure nature even as he let the sand in his hands slide to the ground. Temari also relaxed, though she was surprised. Both were used to having to deal with Konoha ninja like Naruto, Rock Lee, Sakura, or even Neji and Tenten. Outspoken ninja's who were extremely confident in their abilities. Not this shy looking girl in front of them, though Temari thought she looked familiar somehow.

"And what's your name?" Temari ignored Gaara's sharp look at her intervention in the conversation, instead turning to face the girl as she waited for an answer. The young woman lifted her head slowly, her curtain of hair parting to reveal a soft set of features, small button nose and delicate eyebrows accentuating a full set of lips and startling pale lavender eyes that were almost white.

"My name is Hinata Hyuuga, I am a jounin." Because she had lifted her head to show her face they could see the Konoha leaf symbol engraved on the plate around her neck. She kept her eyes averted to the windows behind Gaara, emphasizing how shy she seemed. Temari now recognized her from one of her trips to Konoha as ambassador. Shikamaru, her guide in the village, had decided to actually take her somewhere besides cloud-gazing. And so they had gone to some popular ramen stand where she had been briefly introduced to this girl along with two young men. One had a huge white dog, and the other was wearing sunglasses and a thick winter coat even though they were indoors.

"Very well. Temari, please show her to some quarters for the duration of her stay. Which is?" Gaara turned his gaze from his sister to the young girl. Temari thought it was to the girl's credit that only a faint pink dusted her pale cheeks. She was so shy and yet there were stronger women who occasionally swooned when they came under Gaara's gaze.

"I was told by the Hokage that I'm to stay for three months." Gaara nodded curtly, wondering how he had forgotten this. He had many other pressing issues, the one he had been arguing over with his sister earlier making him want to grimace, but he usually tried to remember things that dealt with other villages. Especially when it concerned Konoha, Suna's main ally.

"Hn." He simply grunted and looked down at the overwhelming papers on his desk. It was a silent signal that they had been dismissed, and he could hear Temari pulling the girl towards the door. As it shut closed behind them he sighed and rubbed at his temples. God he missed the days when he didn't have to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

****

Didn't even realize it until it was too late, but I completely forgot to introduce myself, the story, or do other obvious things like disclaimers. So, here it is now.

**Hi, I'm KC! =D This story is my tribute to the one completely random and probably crack pairing I support in Naruto, GaaHina. It's also my first Naruto fanfic, so be sure to point it out if I goofed on a name of something. But not on the plot, because after the save Gaara arc in Shipuuden I've totally ignored the storyline of Naruto. Besides that, hope you enjoy the story! Oh yeah, and if you have any idea of the _heartwrenching_ despair caused by checking day after day to see if anyone appreciated the story you've posted, only to get nothing... leave a review, would ya?**

**Oh yeah: We all know I don't own Naruto, but let's say it anyway just to run my face in it, m'kay? I do not own Naruto. **

**Chapter 2**

Temari briskly walked down the hallway, the sharp tap of her shoes echoing down the stone passage. A few feet behind her Hinata quietly hurried to keep up, while also trying to remember where they were headed so she could find her way out again. Neither young woman tried to make conversation for a few minutes, but Temari eventually felt uncomfortable and attempted to break the ice.

"So, how are things in Konoha? It's been a few months since I've visited." She tilted her head in order see Hinata behind her, and almost chuckled at the way the girl expressed herself.

"Well, um, nothing is too different I guess. Sakura had her baby, a girl, and she and Naruto are very happy. Tsunade-sama insisted on being a grandmother, even though Sakura's parents are still alive and she and Naruto argue all the time. Um, Ino and Chouji finally got engaged, though Ino can't decide on a spring wedding or a summer one. Oh, Neji and Tenten aren't engaged, but Neji has been thinking of proposing since otherwise my father might try to arrange a marriage for him. Um, everyone else has been going on as normal since then, though I think Shikamaru has stopped cloud-gazing lately to train so he can get accepted into ANBU. I think he was miffed that Naruto got into ANBU before him even though Shikamaru is a lot smarter than Naruto." Hinata kept her eyes on the ground the whole time as she was speaking, and after she mentioned Shikamaru Temari had heard all she wanted to know.

"The lazy ass is actually doing something, and he doesn't consider it troublesome?" Her voice was incredulous as she looked ahead again. They had reached the western wing of the building where guests were housed. Hinata laughed softly behind her.

"Well, I heard him complain to Shino once that it was troublesome to have to give up on his relaxation time, but the clouds would still be floating around when he was done." Now Temari chuckled, stopping in front of a door in the middle of the hallway they were in.

"This is your room. Come on inside and get yourself situated." The door was already unlocked, and the two women entered a bright and simple room. Hinata stepped past Temari to look around her home for the next three months, taking in the cream walls, large window that faced west, and comfortable looking bed in the middle. It was plain but homey in its own way, and Hinata thought that with a small vase of flowers it would be perfect. She noted that someone had already brought up her small bag of belongings, and it was lying in front of a pale wooden nightstand by her bed.

"Is this good enough for you?" Temari's voice behind her almost made Hinata quickly whirl around and bow in gratitude.

"Oh no, it's perfect. Thank you very much Temari-sama." Temari frowned and looked down at the girl in front of her.

"Please, just call me Temari. You can't be more than a year younger than me if you're in the same age group as Naruto and Shikamaru. So there's no need to be so polite. And to be honest I'm not used to it from Konoha ninjas." Hinata gave a small smile as she straightened, still not looking Temari in the eye.

"Yes, Shikamaru, and especially Naruto, are not known for being the most courteous. But it adds to their charm in a way." Temari just nodded. Something was starting to bother her about this girl from Konoha. She seemed really nice, and was impeccable in her speaking most of the time, but…

"Hinata, why won't you look me in the eye when I'm talking to you?" A blush spread over Hinata's cheeks and she looked everywhere but at Temari.

"W-well, it's a b-bad habit I guess. From w-when I was younger." Temari watched Hinata stumble over her words and become even more flustered for a couple minutes before stepping in.

"Jeez, calm down. It was a harmless question, though now I remember that when I first met you at the chunnin exams you were always stuttering. Guess it comes back when you're nervous." Temari put her hand on her waist as she leaned towards Hinata. She tried to make her voice softer, realizing this girl needed gentle handling. "Listen, there's no need to be intimidated by me Hinata. Forget I asked. But you might want to practice talking to me like a normal person, because soon enough you're going to have to talk to Gaara, and he likes people to look at him when they are addressing him."

Hinata nodded her head and hesitantly looked up into Temari's navy eyes. Both of the girls were surprised to realize that the other lacked distinguishable pupils. Temari recovered first and grinned.

"See, it's not so bad. I've got to run, but I'll catch you later." She quickly pivoted on her heel and left the room before Hinata could utter a word. As the door closed behind her Hinata blinked at the large exchange of information that had taken place. She usually said very little, and her mind was reeling somewhat at all of the things Temari had prodded her about.

'_I didn't realize my shortcomings were so obvious.' _She moved backwards and sank onto the bed, leaning backwards until she was staring at the ceiling with her legs dangling over the edge. She had been surprised when Tsunade had assigned her to take Sakura's place to come here; she was a good medic nin but there were better that could have gone. She figured it had had something to do with the very public falling out she and her father had last week. He had once again been criticizing her, claiming that Hanabi could have become a jounin in half the time she did, and that she would always be too slow and weak to do justice to the Hyuuga name.

Hinata sighed as she shifted her gaze to the clear blue sky outside her window. She had finally snapped, and told her father that if she was so imperfect than why doesn't he finally just make Hanabi the heiress; she had had enough, and was leaving. She would never forget the look of astonishment on her father's face as she stormed out of the mansion, a bag with some random belongings and clothes shoved into it. She had stayed with Tenten for a few days, courtesy of Neji, and had then taken the money she had saved from various missions to purchase her own apartment. But the rift had not been so clean, and Hinata had been told by Neji that Hiashi had briefly considered having her killed for her impertinence. So it was probably a good thing that she was here in Suna for three months. It would give her father the time to cool down and realize that Hinata had decided to shape her own destiny. Hinata believed that after a while, he probably would be glad that she had been the one to step up and renounce her claim to being the heiress. It made things easier this way.

"It's better this way." She barely registered the fact that she had murmured the statement, watching the white haze that was Suna's clouds slowly drift across the late afternoon sky. After a few minutes she blinked and sat up, shifting forward to stand up from the bed.

'_It's not going to help to mope around my room thinking about what's done. I should focus on training, or even go look for the medical center.' _She made her way towards the door before pausing and looking down at her grime-covered outfit. _'But first, I should probably make myself presentable to the people I'm going to be working with.'_ She saw a small door to her left that she hoped was a bathroom with a shower of even a bath. Backtracking to the nightstand, Hinata rummaged through a bag and pulled out some clothes to wear. Walking over to the door, she opened it and was relieved to see a small stand up shower and sink along with other necessities. Turning on the water, she was tempted to take a cold shower due to the heat of the air around her but settled for lukewarm, not wanting to stiffen her muscles.

Stepping out she grabbed a fluffy white towel that had been provided by her hosts, taking another to wrap around her hair. Looking over her body, she was glad to see that even being a ninja for the last seven years of her life had given her relatively few scars on her body, and that she was slim without being a rail. She giggled as she got dressed, remembering Ino and Sakura complaining to her when they were fourteen about how she was obviously the most endowed of all of the girls their age. Pulling a thin lavender blouse over her head, she toweled her hair as dry as she could before pulling on tan Capri's and her black sandals.

'_Well, I'm definitely not going to go train, so I might as well go find the medical center._' She left the towels in a heap on the bathroom floor, deciding to take care of them and her dirty clothes later as she stepped out into the hallway. She looked to her left, seeing no sign of anyone. And then looked right, which looked just as empty as the other direction. She blinked as she realized that she had no idea where to go.

'_Oh dear. This will be fun.' _Randomly picking a direction in her head, she started to head down the hallway to her left, hoping it would take her someplace productive.

* * *

**If anyone cares, third chappie will take awhile to put up mainly due to the fact that I'll be out camping for a bit. No internet in the mountains, I'm afraid. But don't despair, dear readers: I will return! ~KC**

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, I'm back from internet deprivation land, and ready to write the story… I think. Anyways, here is the third chapter hot off the keyboard and longer than normal as a present for waiting so long, and a huge thanks to those who reviewed by the way. I'm sorry I didn't reply to most of them, but they were dearly loved and appreciated, I assure you. **

**Chapter 3**

Gaara moodily looked up from the madness of his desk at the sound of Temari knocking on his door. Without waiting for a reply she walked in, another foot-high pile of papers in one hand.

"Sorry Gaara, but here's another three hours of work for you." She set them down gently so as not to disturb the other precariously balanced piles of papers and stepped back to smile at him. "But," she continued, "at least it's good news. Hinata has really been doing a great job with our medics over the past three days. They're already very impressed with her skill, and all of these reports are very favorable of their progress with her." Gaara nodded and reached out to grab the top paper of the pile.

"I am sure that the Hokage would not have sent us someone unqualified in the place of Sakura." He murmured as he scanned the report of the head medic, his eyes widening somewhat at something that the man mentioned halfway through the paper.

"She openly uses her Byakugan to demonstrate healing techniques? I thought the Hyuuga clan disapproved of outsiders being able to study their bloodline techniques." He looked up inquiringly at Temari, and she frowned.

"Hinata brought some letters with her from Konoha, and one of them was addressed to me from Shikamaru Nara, the shinobi who is my guide when I'm there." Gaara nodded; he had met the lazy genius before. "You know how close that generation of shinobi are, he wanted me to know that Hinata is very withdrawn from years of being the family failure, and is shy by nature. But, she also has a big heart, and is no fighter as you should remember from the chunnin exams. Her specialty with the Byakugan lies in seeing chakra channels of the injured and being able to infuse them with her own chakra to induce healing. She also knows the healing techniques of the Hokage, but that is her own unique technique." Temari hesitated for a moment before leaning forward towards the desk.

"He also asked me to try to make friends with her." Gaara just looked at her silently, and she assumed he was waiting for her to say more. "We seem kind of different in personality, but I'm not opposed to it. She seems like a sweet girl, but anyone who is a jounin must also have intelligence. The main reason he sent me the letter, however, is because she recently was disowned from the family. Which answers your question, because if she is not part of the family then she doesn't have to follow the rules, does she?" Gaara blinked at this but still kept his expression blank as he looked down at his desk. "What?" Temari inquired, trying to get a better look at his face.

"Nothing, I'm just thinking about this." Temari huffed and straightened up, putting her hands on her hips.

"What's there to think about? I'm the one who is going to try to befriend her. Not that having someone to talk to besides you and Kankuro is a bad thing. I'm looking forward to it." Gaara grimaced and stood up to stand by the window.

"I was just thinking that normally I try to have dinner with Konoha representatives, usually because it's Naruto and his team these days. Perhaps you should invite Hinata Hyuuga to dine with us tonight so you can get to know her better." Temari now blinked, though it was in surprise. Gaara rarely had the time to come and eat dinner with her and Kankuro, partly because neither of them could cook so if he came he was doing the cooking, but mostly because he was busy with paperwork and council meetings. But he always did but forth a larger effort when it came to relations with Konoha. Temari slowly grinned, already turning around to go find Hinata.

"Alright, I'll go get her now since it's almost twilight. And Gaara?" He turned to look at Temari as she stood in the doorway, his jade eyes reflecting his unspoken question.

"You suggested the dinner, so you're cooking." With a cheerful wave she shut the door and left. Which left Gaara standing in his office, cursing his elder sister and her devious ways. He hated cooking.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Hinata had just left the current room where she and a group had just saved a civilian from losing his arm after he had fallen down some stairs and shattered his radius, only to be met with more medics needing her attention.

"Hyuuga-san, we have a genin who just came in, he was playing around with the puppets and poisoned himself."

"Hyuuga-san, we also have some more people who have been suffering of serious heatstroke, all travelers from surrounding villages."

"Hyuuga-san-" Hinata sighed and spoke up.

"Everyone, please be silent. There's no need for me to have to attend to every patient. I'll go to the ones that need immediate medical attention but if it is not life-threatening than I know you can deal with it without my assistance." With this she grabbed a clip board from the nearest nurse and walked down the hall, stopping and administering help wherever she was needed.

After another hour or so of patients and frantic medics Hinata took a step outside for a breath of fresh air and quiet. The sun was just starting to set, and the light twilight breeze was refreshing on her face. Taking her hair out of its tight bun, Hinata sighed as the long silky strands caressed her face, relaxing tense muscles and reflecting satisfactorily on her work over the past three days. Sakura had made a lot of progress over the past four years that she had regularly been coming over here, and the medical staff was quite proficient here. They just couldn't help but question their work when someone more proficient was around it seemed. Hinata wasn't surprised since Sakura, with her commanding and assured nature, was usually the one supervising them.

Looking around once more at the buildings nearby, stained red with the fading light of the setting sun, Hinata smoothly tied her hair back up and started to head back inside to a few more hours of grueling work.

"Hinata! Wait!" Turning around at the sound of her name, Hinata espied Temari walking down the street towards her. With a soft smile on her face, Hinata stood by the hospital door until the sand shinobi came up to her.

"What is it Temari?"

"I wanted to invite you to dinner. I'm heading home right now, and from what I've read of the reports, you need to relax." She grinned at a surprised Hinata, who looked uncertainly at the hospital for a moment. She had been pulling fourteen hour shifts the past few days, and the chance for a nice dinner to relax and unwind sounded heavenly. She knew the other medics would be perfectly fine without her, and turned to Temari with a grateful look.

"That sounds wonderful, thank you. Just let me inform the staff I'll be leaving for today." Temari nodded and leaned against the wall while Hinata darted in to tell the woman at the front desk she was leaving and to sign out. In a minute she was outside again with her coat and a change of clothes. The hospital uniform she was wearing had a decent amount of blood spattered on it along with other fluids, and was indecent for eating with others.

Quietly walking down the street together, Temari and Hinata quietly chatted about the weather and other inconsequential topics until they reached Temari's home. Hinata was surprised by how small it was, expecting the daughter of the Kazekage to have a much larger and grander abode. She didn't say anything, and both young women entered the house to be enthusiastically greeted by Kankuro.

"Hina-chan, it's great to see you! Oh, and you too Temari, I guess." Temari quickly smacked her brother upside the head to Hinata's slight bemusement and Kankuro's displeasure.

"You moron, don't be so disrespectful to a guest! Call her by her full name, and as a young man you should say 'Hinata-san.'" Kankuro rubbed his head and pouted, righting his hat as Temari had knocked it askew.

"What does it matter as long as 'Hinata-san'" he made sure to stress his corrected version of Hinata's name, "doesn't care?" Hinata smiled and shook her head.

"I'm sure he doesn't mean anything perverted or disrespectful of it Temari, though if he did I'm sure he would regret it with you around." Temari glared meaningfully at a gleeful Kankuro.

"Knowing him, I wouldn't be so sure he wasn't being perverted somehow."

"Hey! I am the essence of respectfulness. How could I not be with all the abuse I'm given daily by you?" Both siblings were soon screeching in each other's faces about their respective faults while Hinata uncertainly stood by the door, not knowing what to do.

Just as she was about to try to intervene, both siblings suddenly stopped and became dead silent. Curious as to what stopped them, Hinata followed their gaze to see Gaara standing in the kitchen doorway, a cold glare directed at his older siblings. Even though it was not directed at her, Hinata felt like shivering at the intense gaze.

"You two are both immature idiots. Instead of squabbling, why don't you try to pay attention to our guest?" He nodded to Hinata, who faintly returned the gesture, before whirling around and disappearing back into what Hinata guessed was the kitchen from the surprisingly enticing aroma wafting out.

"Uh, sorry about that Hinata." She turned her head to see both Temari and Kankuro sheepishly looking at her. Temari shoved Kankuro towards the kitchen and turned to Hinata.

"Come on, while Kankuro helps Gaara you can go get changed while I set the table." Hinata, definitely confused by the lack of help at this point couldn't help but inquire about the lack of servants after she had gone to the bathroom to switch into a casual pair of navy slacks and a simple silver blouse with her standard sandals.

Temari only chuckled. "Well, while Gaara was in his 'dark phase' people were too scared to come near him, and even though Kankuro and I were terrified too we knew Gaara couldn't take of himself. So, we became used to taking care of ourselves since our father really couldn't give a damn. And even though Gaara is the Kazekage he hates having people fussing all over him. I mean, right after he was saved by Naruto he was too surprised by the attention to react. But after five years, he's accustomed to it and prefers just to have his closest friends about him." Temari shrugged before suddenly looking at Hinata with a knowing look.

"That's right; I forgot you're probably used to a lot of servants and such at home in Konoha, right?" Hinata blushed and shook her head.

"I didn't mean it like that. I mean yes, my father does have a lot of servants, but as a shinobi I've had to learn to take care of myself. What use is a servant when you're in the middle of a dangerous mission in enemy territory?" Temari chuckled at the image.

"Good point." At this point Kankuro came out with a large pot that he placed carefully in the middle of the table, followed by Gaara holding a platter. Hinata and Temari sat with Gaara and Kankuro following suit, and Hinata filled her plate first since she was the guest. Looking down at the steamed rice and fish, Hinata was surprised at how good it looked.

"Kazekage-sama, I never imagined you to be a good cook." Gaara, caught in taking a bite, had to swallow awkwardly before answering.

"If I didn't learn how these two would starve. Temari's dishes are fatally poisonous and Kankuro's only slightly less so."

"Hey, my cooking is not poisonous! Sure it may not be delicious, but it's edible." Temari vehemently defended herself even as she enthusiastically polished off the food on her plate. Kankuro, already going for seconds, only snorted.

"Yeah Tem, think that chunnin who was in the hospital for a week will agree with you?" It was apparent Temari kicked Kankuro from under the table as he swore, and dropped the spoon of rice back into the pot. Even as Hinata fought to keep a straight face she wished she could have had even this kind of relationship with her sister, instead of the cold rivalry that had been forced on them by their father.

Hinata looked at Gaara to see if he would intervene as he had done earlier, but he seemed to only be focused on neatly and quietly eating his dinner. Hinata still remembered the first time she had 'met' Gaara all those years ago as a genin, and as this was her first time seeing him since then was quietly amazed at the difference in temperament and looks. In his office she had been too nervous about making a good impression to really look at him, and took the liberty now of examining his calm expression, ruffled ruby red hair offset by jade eyes and the startling black rings that were a sign of his past as a demon container. However, she also took in the defined jaw, the light stubble that seemed to be forming on his cheeks, and the long lean figure she could see from her seat at his left.

"Hinata, are you almost done?" Hinata almost jumped and looked over at Temari and Kankuro, who had finished eating and whose plates were empty of even a grain of rice. Looking down at her own plate, she noted that she must have been automatically eating while she looked around since it was almost empty too.

"Oh, um, yes, I'm done." Temari reached across the table and took her plate as well as Kankuro's and Gaara's to the kitchen, leaving Hinata alone with the two young men. After a moment of silence Hinata decided to try and strike up a conversation.

"Thank you for inviting me to dinner, that was delicious." And it had been. Hinata could cook enough to keep herself alive, but she knew she wasn't good enough to make anything as good as that and have it taste that good.

"It's always nice to have company over, and we make it a point to be especially courteous to Konoha ninja." Kankuro replied, standing up and patting his stomach. "That and it's the only way we can convince Gaara to cook for us these days." Gaara also stood, with Hinata shortly following.

"I cook for you two almost every other night." His quiet voice was more of a rebuke than if he had raised his voice. Kankuro mournfully looked at Hinata.

"And very night he doesn't I run the risk of being killed by Temari's concoctions. What kind of brother leaves another to that kind of fate I ask you?" Gaara snorted and went to join Temari in the kitchen.

"Um, I should probably be going." Hinata turned and started to make her way towards the kitchen to say goodbye to Temari.

"Did you say you're going, Hinata?" Temari came out just as Hinata was about to enter, drying her hands off with a dish towel. Gaara followed her out, Hinata backtracking to the living room so they could come out.

"Yes, I have to go back to the hospital tomorrow, and since I left early today I should head back in earlier than normal. Temari looked concernedly at the shorter woman.

"Hinata, we definitely appreciate your effort in helping out medical program, but if you keep pulling hours like this for no reason you're going to have to admit yourself soon." Hinata gave a small smile.

"It's alright; it's not as if I wasn't this busy at home too." Temari raised an eyebrow before her look softened. She thought Hinata meant having to get all of her things out and looking for a new home after her father had kicked her out so harshly.

"Well, regardless, you're going to be here for three months. Let me show you around Suna tomorrow, that is if you don't have anything for me to do?" She looked inquisitively at Gaara, who looked thoughtfully at the ceiling for a moment before shaking his head.

"Nothing crucial, just more paperwork and normal tasks around the village." Temari's smiled broadly and looked at her brother.

"You should join us, Gaara. You haven't had a break since the last time you visited Konoha, and that was eight months ago." He frowned at her, and crossed his arms defiantly.

"I can't just dump all of my work on someone and wander around the village for a day Temari." Temari mischievously looked at him.

"Yes you can. You can dump it on Baki, who has done work like that since before any of us were even born, and you can work on the council's special request for you as we look around town." Hinata was curious as to why Gaara's eyes widened for a moment before he harrumphed and glared at his sister.

"Fine. You win." Hinata felt uncomfortable in the ensuing silence and went to grab her coat. All three siblings looked at her as if startled she was still there before Kankuro spoke up.

"Uh, sorry Hina-chan. You're so quiet it's easy to forget you're there. Unlike that Naruto, you never forget when he's in a ten-mile radius." She gave a smile at the mention of the loud ninja who was a childhood friend of hers.

"Here let me at least walk you partway to the guest tower Hinata." Hinata nodded and said her goodbyes to Gaara and Kankuro before the two women left the house and headed out into the now dark and chilly desert air. Both were silent as they walked back, enjoying the quiet evening and the bright stars visible from above.

As Temari left her at the entrance to the building Hinata realized she really like the sand ninja. She was so full of confidence, yet could be so kind and mothering at the same time.

Walking back to her house and brothers, Temari hoped that the idea that had just hatched in her head wasn't an idiotic catastrophe waiting to happen.

**So, uh, hope you like and if you could I'd love some feedback, whether positive or negative. **

**And, more importantly, I'm looking for a beta for this story. The two applications I sent out a couple weeks ago to two people were ignored. So, if anyone who is reading this story is interested, please leave me a message. **


	4. Chapter 4

**My sincerest apologies for the wait to those who reviewed. But, here I am, and here is the latest chapter of It Takes Two to Love! I really should have made the title shorter... so long to have to type out. **

**But, the best news is that the wonderful, beautiful, talented-ful, and all around awesome Kendall N.S. is my beta for this story! A huge thanks to other generous readers who offered their services, though. And as always, a cookie and a thank you for every reader who took the two minutes to leave a kind review. **

**Without further ado, here's the chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Hinata looked around with curiosity at the assorted stalls of the marketplace in Suna, Temari next to her examining various clothing and crafts while Gaara stood behind them. It was only early morning but Hinata could already feel the heat settling upon the desert village, and appreciated the vast tenting that covered the walkways to deflect some of the desert's scorching heat. Leaning forward to scrutinize an intricately beaded purse, Hinata was glad she had gone along with Temari's suggestion of taking the day of to get to know her home for the next few months.

Hinata hadn't been so enthusiastic about their outing this morning, when Temari had woken her at the break of dawn with an explanation about trying to avoid the day's heat. Leaving the guest tower, they had met up with a quiet but alert Gaara at the entrance to what Temari explained was the village marketplace. They had spent the last hour meandering about the area, Temari pointing out interesting stalls for her while Gaara silently followed without making a comment or even speaking at all. Hinata had quickly noticed how the general citizenry of Suna were quite unaffected by the presence of their Kazekage among them, and after straightening from the purse and giving a polite bow to the stall owner, she turned to him.

"Kazekage-sama, do you often go here? No one seems very surprised to see you. In Konoha, I think some people would have their jaws hanging on the ground if the Hokage suddenly appeared in our marketplace." She kept her eyes determinedly on his as he turned to look at her, though it wasn't as hard as she thought it would be. He seemed to be very comfortable here, and his voice reflected it in its affectionate tone as he spoke of his people.

"After years of being feared by the general populace and welcoming it, I have been trying to reverse that image of myself since becoming Kazekage. It's only been in the past few years that I've had any real success. And while I don't think I'm loved by my people, I am respected and they are used to my presence among them." Temari, who had turned and listened quietly to the conversation, now spoke up, and her voice held a strong note of pride as she talked to Hinata.

"He's being modest, you know. After he saved them from the Akatsuki, the people of Suna realized that Gaara would protect them with his own life if need be, and he is very affectionately received wherever he goes in the village. He even has a fanclub." Here she chuckled, and Hinata gave a small smile until she glanced at Gaara, who now seemed uncomfortable. The sand at his feet swayed gently even though there was no real breeze, and he looked at the corner of his eye toward a stall at the end of the walkway. Looking in that direction as if she was going to go to the next stall, Hinata could see a few female heads poking out conspicuously from behind the stall, obviously watching their handsome Kazekage as he walked about.

Turning back, she could see the amusement on Temari's face, and nothing on Gaara's; though the sand was restlessly hovering around his ankles now.

"Temari, are there any places nearby where I could get something cool to drink? I'm not quite used to the heat out here; the hospital at least has an air conditioning system." Temari understood what Hinata was trying to do, and she had to hide a smile as she turned at how kind Hinata was even to a man she barely knew.

"Yeah, places for cooled beverages are frequently placed around here, and are pretty popular. Do you want one outside, or do you want to go into a shop?" Temari pointed across the way to a crowded stall selling fruit drinks and then to a sign for a café further down. Hinata, feeling the heat really starting to kick in even through the thin pale grey t-shirt and beige shorts she was wearing, quickly agreed to the second choice, and followed Temari and Gaara as they leisurely weaved their way through the crowds to the shop. Everyone moved almost languidly to reduce physical effort, even at the early hour. By the time they reached the door and had entered the cooler shop Hinata had lifted her hair from her neck and was considering tying up the thick black mass into a ponytail.

"Temari, I'll be waiting at a table. You know what I usually get." Gaara moved away from them as he spoke, and Hinata's gaze followed him as he made his way to a small table. It was away from the windows and in a fairly secluded corner of the restaurant. Curious, Hinata couldn't help but ask Temari as they waited in line why Gaara would choose an almost secluded spot if he was trying to get his people to like him. Temari smiled softly as she looked at her brother.

"Gaara is an observer. He doesn't really like being the center of everyone's attention, even though he is Kazekage and a very commanding presence when he wishes to be. He prefers to just watch those he protects from afar, and be content with knowing that he contributes to them having such normal lives." Gaara, occupied with observing people quietly chatting and enjoying their beverages, had finally looked over at them and shot a curious look a Temari, who only winked and turned back to Hinata. Leaving Gaara to look puzzled for a moment before resuming watching the patrons of the café. Temari grinned and then looked at Hinata closely. She was curious to know of what Hinata's impressions were of her brother.

"How much do you know about Gaara, Hinata?" The Konoha medic nin looked thoughtfully at the ground for a moment, considering what she knew and what she had seen of the silent leader of Suna. She organized it as chronologically as she could before looking at Gaara. She absentmindedly watched his hair become gently tousled by a fan over his head as she replied.

"I first saw the Kazekage, along with you and Kankuro-kun, at the chunnin exams. He was still… unstable, and had performed desert coffin on another group of ninjas just to take their scroll in front of my eyes. He made it temporarily rain blood, and I remembered feeling like I had lost a bit of my innocence as I watched him stand under that umbrella as the blood soaked into the ground." Temari blinked; she had been unaware that Hinata had been there when that had occurred. "So, I didn't exactly have a… pleasant first meeting with him. After that I saw him fight Lee and seriously injure him, and then the invasion occurred. Those have been the only times I've really seen your brother until now. For the most part, the only things I know about him are things Naruto told me when he found out I was coming here. I was told how horrible life has been for him as a demon container, and how hard it was for him to have to battle his inner demon along with the hatred of his own people to become who he is today Out of all of the things Naruto told me about Sabaku no Gaara, the one thing that I really tried to believe was that he's not a monster. That's he's just a person, albeit very powerful and intimidating." Temari was silent. She hadn't realized how much Naruto had been trying to make other people besides just Suna look at Gaara in a different light, and Hinata hadn't said if she believed what she had been told.

"So… do you believe it?" Temari almost held her breath as Hinata tore her gaze away from Gaara as his head turned towards them again. Hinata looked Temari in the eye as she replied, and the sand ninja could see the truth of what Hinata said.

"I believe in my friends, and since Gaara is a close friend of Naruto, so… yes. I don't think that Gaara is a monster." Temari couldn't help herself, and leaned forward to embrace Hinata in a fierce hug.

"As his older sister, who needed almost thirteen years to realize that truth, I can't help but want to thank you for being so understanding." Hinata, surprised by the gesture and not completely used to such affection, hesitantly returned the hug before looking over Temari's shoulder and shifting away.

"Um, it's our turn to order our drinks now Temari." Temari quickly backed away and grinned sheepishly while glancing over the menu, already knowing what she was going to order. She ignored the curious looks the people in line behind them gave her and Hinata. They hadn't heard their quiet conversation, and so wouldn't understand.

"Sorry about that. It's just; few people can say what you just said and actually mean it. See anything you like?" Hinata picked out a smoothie full of different berries while Temari chose strawberry. She also picked out a berry blend like Hinata's and merely pointed to Gaara when Hinata opened her mouth to question.

Grabbing the drinks, they made their way over to the table where Gaara was, finding him thoughtfully gazing at a couple holding hands as they shared a drink. Temari sat across from Gaara at the table, and gestured for Hinata to sit next to her brother.

"So, anything catch your eye Gaara?" Temari casually threw this out before she took a long sip of her drink. Gaara merely shrugged and looked back at the various patrons of the room, seemingly fine with Hinata sitting only a few inches away from him.

Hinata herself was slightly nervous. She had been able to tell Temari that she didn't think of Gaara as a monster, and she knew that was the truth; if he was who he used to be Gaara wouldn't be sitting next to her, sipping at a smoothie while talking quietly with Temari about the odd things people in the café were doing around them. However, part of her still felt… odd, while sitting next to him. She couldn't pinpoint the feeling. Couldn't really describe it, or give it a clearer definition beyond just…_odd_. The closest she could compare it to was when she was little, and she sat next to Neji for tea after he had just trounced her once again in front of her father. She had always felt confused, how Neji had so ferociously defeated her and then ten minutes later made quiet and polite conversation with her as they sipped their tea. It wasn't until she was older that she comprehended how Neji had hated her for her weakness even as she seemed stuck with the fate to rule over him as the heiress to the clan, and the only way he was able to vent the resentment her felt towards her, one of the main family, was to be better than her at fighting. The thought of her family, or what used to be her family, made Hinata's throat close up for a moment, and her fists tightened in her lap as she fought to push her thoughts away from melancholy. She didn't regret her choice to leave her family, but part of her yearned to be able to still be able to talk to them without feeling guilty or in danger.

Glancing sidelong at Gaara, she knew that the situation was totally different, and focused on the play of the lights in the cafe on his aquamarine eyes to banish lingering reflections on her family miles away from her. She decided the only reason her thoughts had linked such different scenarios was because the most vivid image she had of the Kazekage was of a young boy, resentful of the world and its hatred, who had just murdered someone in front of her eyes in cold blood for enjoyment. And now she's sitting next to him, a representative of her village, as he's calmly drinking a beverage in his own village as its leader and protector. But there was more than a ten minute difference between the two scenes. There were years interspersed between, and Hinata knew she was looking at a Gaara who was as much altered in philosophy and looks as Neji is today. But she still sensed that niggling feeling of confusion in the back of her mind as she looked upon his calm features, and she didn't know what to do about it, or if it was even a bad thing to feel. Hinata decided to try ticking off a list of emotions she could feel for the Kazekage to try to pinpoint what was wrong with her.

Affection; no, she barely knew him, and however attractive he might be he was pretty much her employer at the moment. Completely off limits. Pity; no, she knew Gaara needed no pity, and would most likely be offended if she were to offer such a sentiment to him. Intimidation; slightly, since Gaara was definitely unlike Naruto, who could probably charm birds out of trees if he wanted to. Respect; of course. He was the Kazekage of Suna even though he looked to be the same age as her. Tapping the side of her glass contemplatively, Hinata decided that she would just stick with her vague definiton of confused for now. She looked back at Gaara just as his gaze settled on her, and she felt a jolt of embarrassment that he had caught her looking at him.

Glancing away quickly, Hinata decided that she would just concentrate on strengthening her friendship with Temari and avoid frequent interaction with her younger brother. Gaara seemed like he would be a serious, thoughtful person that she normally wouldn't mind getting to know; but the emotions and thoughts he invoked within her were not things she wanted to deal with right now; she was supposed to be enjoying herself learning about Suna.

* * *

**So... green's such a pretty color, right? I mean, I just love to _click_ green objects, especially if it's a _green button_. **


	5. Chapter 5

**So, here we are again with the latest chapter. Things might be slowing down a bit update-wise I'm afraid. I'm busy with classes and scholarships and testing and all that stuff that makes being a Senior oh, _so_ much fun. Yeah. =P**

**Anyways, none of you lovely readers out there care about me and my trivial life woes, right? You just want to read the damn story you've been waitng a few weeks for, yes? So go on, go ahead. Just be sure to click on the lovely button at the end there and leave me some feedback, will you? **

**Oh, but I do have a contest of sorts going. Extra love if anyone can find the typo that Kendall found but lost, and that I've also failed/ am too lazy at the moment to find. I hate to have typos floating around in my stories, so point it out to me in a review, will ya? Thanks. =) **

**Chapter 5**

Gaara looked over at Hinata curiously as he felt her gaze on him but she quickly looked down at her drink, not blushing but obviously embarrassed at being caught looking at someone without their consent. He wasn't sure why she seemed to dislike looking him in the eye, but he was used to it. Most people thought they could look him in the eye but when they did, Gaara knew that it was hard to not look for the demon he used to be. Looking back at his sister, Gaara hoped that she would let him go back to his office soon. He didn't mind coming here-he often comes here in the summer with Temari or Kankuro- but the underlying reason for his presence made him want to lock himself in his office and never leave.

Gaara was still furious that the council dared to threaten kicking him out of his position just because he didn't feel the need to marry. He knew all they truly wanted was leverage against him. They were fully aware that they couldn't touch Kankuro or Temari, who were trained shinobi, so they wanted a wife; a villager wife who wouldn't be able to defend herself, and most likely a child who might receive Gaara's powers gained from Shukaku.

Gaara kept himself from scowling from habit as he raised his eyes to sweep the small café they were in. A couple holding hands, a young child making a mess, an older man reading the paper: they were his people, and he loathed the thought of not being able to protect them just because he couldn't make the sacrifice of marrying someone. The council didn't say he had to like her, just 'produce an heir'. Though the phrasing made Gaara want to grit his teeth, he had nonetheless been examining women they passed from out of the corner of his eye while they had been walking this morning, and more openly while he had been waiting for them to get the drinks in the café.

So far, Gaara knew that none of them were what he wanted. And he had to admit being conspicuously followed by the fan girls earlier had made him even more uncomfortable with the venture. But in this case, what he wanted might not matter. As Temari had warned him only a few days ago the council was getting impatient, and in the end he might be stuck with someone he didn't know and couldn't respect if he wasn't careful.

As he took another drink from his berry beverage Gaara mentally ticked off every woman that he could place in age from eighteen to twenty-two in the café. Some of them were pretty, and some of them looked kind, but all of them lacked… something. Not to mention a few were already married or at least obviously attached to someone else. Giving a small sigh, he looked over at Temari to see her watching him intently. He shook his head slightly to indicate he hadn't found anyone he liked, and she too sighed before turning to Hinata, who had been silently drinking her smoothie and seemed content with her own thoughts.

As they two young women struck up a conversation about shopping that Gaara only faintly paid attention to, he observed the young woman sitting next to him. While she only came to his shoulder even while sitting, he noted that she held herself very straight, as if she was in a formal setting. One of her hands was draped in her lap while the other held her drink in place, and Gaara supposed it to be from her upbringing as an heiress to a powerful clan. Her hands he saw reflected all of the hard work she did from day to day, calluses evident on the small palms from holding a kunai. Looking up, he saw that she had put her hair up into a ponytail at some point, most likely due to the heat outside. The hair itself, which seemed to have an almost bluish highlight to its cobalt color, fell in a neat wave down her back.

At this point Hinata seemed to notice Gaara's gaze on her, for she turned her head and blushed lightly at him. She's quite pretty, he noted at the back of his mind. It was a kind of fragile beauty that reflected her pale skin and small stature.

"Um Kazekage-sama? Is something wrong?" He merely shook his head.

"No, it's nothing. I apologize if I made you uncomfortable." He turned away and finished off his drink, setting the glass down and looking over at his sister. She had an odd glint in her eyes that he couldn't decipher, and it made him feel slightly nervous. Gaara was afraid of few things in this world, but his sister when she was plotting something made both him and Kankuro extremely wary.

"Are you almost ready to get going again Temari?" She nodded and stood up, brushing away invisible grains of sand and leaving her empty glass where it was. Hinata stood up quickly after her, and almost knocked over her glass onto Gaara. He reached out a hand and caught it just as the remaining contents would have spilled over onto his lap.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, I should have been more careful." She looked like she had just chucked the glass at his head, and he gave her a puzzled glance as he righted the glass and stood up.

"There's nothing to apologize for since I caught it. And Kankuro's done it to me enough that I'm almost used to having drinks spilt on me." Temari laughed and led the way to the door.

"That's because the idiot is usually too busy looking at girls walking by to pay attention to where his drink is." As she opened the door Gaara could feel the heat wash over him in a wave, and welcomed the sensation of it as the warmth seemed to embrace him. He loved the feel of the desert for it was part of him, regardless that the demon of the desert no longer inhabited his body.

Staying back so the two young women could leave first, Gaara gave one last fleeting glance around the room before stepping out into the windy street of the marketplace behind Hinata, only to bump into her as she had stopped right outside the door. Rocking back onto his heels, Gaara tried to maintain his balance while making sure she didn't fall either. He reached a hand out to grab her arm, only to see that she had only stumbled forward a step and was fine.

"And here I thought shinobi were supposed to be graceful." Gaara shot an irritated glare at Temari as she stood to the left of them, smirking, while they regained their balance. Hinata actually did blush this time, and gave a short bow of apology to Gaara.

"I'm very sorry Kazekage-sama, I wasn't paying enough attention to my surroundings." Gaara gave her a small frown, unsure what to say. She seemed to be often caught up in her thoughts when with him and Temari, and he wondered how she was able to restrain the urge when she was in the hospital to be such a good medic. Looking at her as she straightened up from her small bow, he decided it wasn't really worth thinking about. He barely knew her and didn't need to understand her for her to help the medical program.

"It's alright Hyuuga-san." He tried not to make the words sound as cold as they seemed, but knew that his normally quiet voice often gave the impression he was always in a silent, brooding anger. Hinata seemed to receive this impression too as her eyes slightly widened and she looked away from him to Temari.

"Well then… let's keep going." Temari broke the silence before it could engulf the small party in awkwardness and grabbed Hinata's arm, pulling the younger girl with her as they made their way towards the next stall down the street. Not entirely sure of what to do next, Gaara just silently followed, keeping his eyes carefully on the ground.

However, he was still able to sense the small horde of girls creeping up behind him from one of the stands, and one chakra presence in particular that made him wince. Reaching a hand out, he tugged at Temari's sleeve as she and Hinata paused at a stall selling necklaces and other bits of jewelry. Turning, Temari gave him a quizzical look that asked him why he was bothering her. Gaara in turn flicked his eyes to his left, and Temari also picked up the troublesome chakra signature.

"Well, we knew it would have to occur sometime today Gaara. Do you want to handle them, or shall I?" Temari put a hand on her hip next to her fan with a sigh. Hinata had turned with Temari and had also noticed the group of ten girls trying to huddle behind one stall. After giving them a puzzled glance before comprehension flitted across her features, she only commented that if they were kunoichi they would be quite useless on the battlefield.

Giving a short laugh, Temari said, "Thankfully for us only one of those young women is an active shinobi, and Matsuri is a chunnin who is supposed to be training right now with her team." Gaara noticeably grimaced at the mention of his former pupil. He was fond of her in the sense that she would probably be the last ninja of his village that he tried to train, but her obsessive desire to get him to notice her romantically had worn down his patience over the years. Gaara didn't acknowledge Matsuri as a young woman; to him she was one of his village's ninja that should follow his orders.

"I'll deal with them today. Matsuri should be training with her team right now, and I'm sure the other village girls should be doing something else besides following me around." It was an unspoken agreement between Gaara and Temari that he would not even consider thinking about marrying one of the girls he started to walk towards. He heard Hinata's voice say something to Temari that sounded like a question, but he blocked out their quiet voices as he focused on the giggling girls looking at him. He could feel his sand shifting in his gourd in accompaniment with the uneasiness shifting around in his own mind. He disliked having to deal with the girls who tried so vainly to get his undivided attention. It had been flattering at first, but he was old enough to know that all they were infatuated with was his power and his status. With perhaps a dash of his unusual appearance. The perception pushed the unease away and left in its place a cold indifference for those before him.

Stopping a few feet away, he directed his famous glower at them and spoke coldly, making sure they understood he was not pleased by their presence.

"Matsuri. I distinctly recall signing a document a few days ago that ordered you and your team to be training for the next month. It did not say that you could stop training for any amount of time and come to the marketplace with your silly friends. As a shinobi of our village you will go back to your team leader and continue training, or I will set you to doing D rank missions for three months. Am I understood?" Matsuri, whose face had originally lit up at seeing Gaara walk up to her, was now pale and the picture of silent humiliation as she stood up with her head bowed.

"Yes, Kazekage-sama. I understand completely." She quickly leapt away to go to the training grounds. Turning his eye to the rest of the girls, he frowned and crossed his arms, privately enjoying the fact that they all shifted uncomfortably and avoided meeting his eye.

"While none of the rest of you are shinobi, you are all needed somewhere else in the village right now. Am I correct in thinking so? Or do all of the young girls in the village spend all day aimlessly wandering around the marketplace without contributing anything to their home?" The cool disdain in his voice made them all shiver before they all gave quick apologies and scurried away in different directions.

His job done, Gaara pivoted on his heel and strode back to Hinata and Temari. Both young women had an odd expression on their face as they regarded him, and Gaara wondered what their problem was.

"Gaara." Temari shook her head. "If you treat every girl who tries to be nice to you like that you are never going to get married." Gaara gave her a startled look, and Hinata nodded in agreement.

"You might have been a little unnecessarily harsh Kazekage-sama." Now Gaara looked curiously over at Hinata, and she met his eye instead of looking away. She was so unpredictable. One second mortified to look at his face, the next standing up to him with his sister. He didn't have time to dwell on the thought as Temari broke in, giving his a glare.

"A little? I'm surprised they didn't burst into tears." Gaara, unsure of why they were protesting his treatment of them, stubbornly jerked his chin up and clenched his fists.

"Does it matter? I would never consider marrying any of them so I don't see what's wrong with telling them to back off." Temari glared up at her little brother, putting her hands on her hips.

"It does matter! The principle matters and the principle is that you should always be a gentleman to young women. Usually I'm trying to beat this into Kankuro's head, but it seems like I should try shoving it into your skull too." Hinata, who seemed to not want to get too involved in the argument, turned away to look at necklaces while Temari continued to berate Gaara. After a few minutes of this Gaara had enough, and looked at Temari as he growled her name.

"Temari." It was only her name, yet it made her freeze and just look at her brother. He had his jaw clenched in anger, and his eyes were hard as they bored into her. Temari was for the most part un-intimidated by her brother as he cooled down over the years, but she still held her tongue and was respectful when he was like this.

"Sorry. I guess telling off a few lazy village girls and actually being polite to a young woman is pretty different." Gaara merely looked at her, and Temari couldn't help herself but to scowl at him.

"What? I back down even though I don't believe a word of what I just said and apologized. The least you could do is respond." Gaara's lips twitched, but he still didn't say anything. It was Hinata who broke the silence by suddenly giggling from behind Temari.

"Temari, that's not very apologetic." Temari huffed and shifted so Gaara could see Hinata. She had a small smile on her face before she giggled at his sister, who just scowled again. Finally giving in, Gaara also gave a small smile, which he could tell surprised Hinata.

"That's better. You've become such a stiff you know. You should smile more." Temari smiled warmly at Gaara. He in turn let the smile slip off his lips, just to see her almost pout. Hinata seemed to be amused just watching their interactions, but after a moment tapped Temari onteh shoulder to get the older kunoichi's attention.

"Temari, why is it so important that Gaara marry? Many of out Hokages never married; Tsunade-sama is too old to get married, now. Not would she want to, I'm sure." Temari blinked for a second before grinning.

"I just meant that if he ever does feel the need to tie the knot he's going to have a hard time with his charm level." Gaara only looked away, silent but thankful that Temari hadn't told Hinata about his dilemma. Konoha shinobi did not need to know that Gaara and his council were having difficulties, especially over something so trivial. He only looked up when he heard Temari suddenly snap her fingers, and his eyes fractionally widened at the calculating look in his sister's eye as she looked at Hinata.

"I got it! Hinata, why don't you help me work on Gaara's skills with women? You've done seduction missions before, right?" A slight blush covered Hinata's face but she nodded that she had done such missions before.

"Perfect. Well Gaara, what do you say? It'll be weird if I do it, and Kami knows if we send you to Kankuro for advice you'll end up a pervert like he is." Gaara, quite unwilling to go through this, opened his mouth to speak; but was cut off by Hinata.

"Temari, it wouldn't really work out. I have to go to the hospital, and as Kazekage I'm sure Kazekage-sama is quite busy." Gaara merely nodded firmly in agreement, glad that he didn't have to go up against Temari's stubborn nature and try to convince her that her scheme wouldn't work. For her part Temari looked put out for only a moment before grinning again.

"We'll just do it every night after dinner. Hinata can come to my house for dinner, and afterwards work with Gaara for only an hour or so. That way we're not up too late, and Hinata doesn't have to scrounge up dinner in the hospital cafeteria. And we can take turns on the cooking so Gaara doesn't kill us after a week." Hinata and Gaara looked at each other and, for the first time since they had met, were in perfect accord.

'_This is going to be interesting…'_

Temari's grinned widened as she realized they had no objections to make, and she pointed to the food stands down the street.

"Let's go buy some stuff for dinner, and we can start tonight." Giving a small sigh, Gaara followed after Temari as she started to walk over there with too much energy for so early in the day. Hinata fell into step beside him, also giving a small sigh.

"I'm sorry Kazekage-sama, but it seems Temari is determined." Gaara glanced down at her, noting how she kept her face carefully composed to not showcase her feelings on the situation. With his own inscrutable expression, he looked ahead at Temari already haggling with a fruit merchant.

"Considering we're going to be meeting each other quite often, you may just call me Gaara." He didn't look at her face, but after a moment her quiet voice reached his ears.

"Very well, Gaara-sama. You may call me Hinata then."

* * *

**I make no committments(sp?) on when the next chapter will come along, but I will consider making a vague almost-promise that is no way concrete or remniscent of a contract that I might possibly manage to have something typed up that could be considered a new chapter to some in a few weeks. **

**Maybe possibly sorta-kinda yes. **

**~KC**


	6. Chapter 6

**I put up a new version of this that has been looked over by Kendall. Sorry to those who had to read through the rough version previously up. **

**A quick thanks to those wonderful, handsome/beautiful people who were kind and thoughtful enough to review. You brighten my day and make me happy to keep writing. =D**

**And, I think that's about it. Enjoy, and please review if you have the inclination.**

**Chapter 6**

"Kankuro! Get your lazy ass over here and help me cook!" Temari burst into her home yelling at her younger brother before she was fully over the doorstep, and lugging large bags of various food stuffs in her arms with a grin on her face that contrasted the commanding tone of her voice. Gaara quietly followed his boisterous sister into the house with his normal unreadable expression and his own bag of groceries. Hinata brought up the rear, slightly amused by Temari's behavior, but also mildly shocked that she would talk to Kankuro like that. She followed Gaara and Temari to place her small bag of fruit on the counter in the kitchen.

"Why the hell should I? I'll get hit and abused anyway." Kankuro came shuffling down the hallway, adjusting the hat on his head and tugging at his rumpled clothing. Hinata, at Gaara's gesture, carefully sat herself down on the couch after coming out of the kitchen with him to watch Temari and Kankuro start bickering.

"Because if you don't get over here in a few seconds and help me start dinner, there won't be a Kankuro Jr. ever running around Suna. Not that that's such a loss." This last sentence was snapped out as Kankuro finally decided to quickly stride into the kitchen. All Hinata could hear were the various loud, clanging noises of pots and pans that were presumably thrown around, along with curses on both sides and insulting jabs at each other from the irritable brother and sister.

After directing her to the couch, Gaara disappeared into a side room and wasn't coming out for a while by the soundly closed door. Once they decided to call each other by their first names he had retreated back into his quiet shell, and Temari had done all of the talking as soon as she finished purchasing the required groceries for dinner. Giving a soft sigh, Hinata contented herself with mentally reviewing things she would have to do tomorrow in the hospital, as well as what the lesson plan for the group of medic nins she was training was going to be.

Just as she had settled on starting on vital organ surgeries, Temari popped out from the kitchen and walked over to Hinata. She grabbed the younger kunoichi by the wrist and start tugging her along to the room Gaara had disappeared into while talking.

"While Kankuro and I fix something up to eat, you and Gaara can come up with a game plan as to how you are going to work on your project. You have a good hour, so don't rush and plan carefully. You have three months after all, and thankfully Gaara can be a quick learner if he applies himself." Temari opened the door, without knocking, and strode right into a small library where Gaara was poring over a book.

"Gaara! Work with Hinata on the project she's helping you with while I cook. Play nice." Gaara looked up with a frown and opened his mouth to say something, but Temari had already left in her usual whirlwind of energy. Hinata, awkwardly standing by the open door, had nothing to say for a few minutes. Gaara just returned to his book after a minute and left Hinata to try to strike up a conversation. She felt as if she was trying to talk to her father in his study, which only made her more determined to try to say something.

"Temari's very energetic. She's like a force of nature in her own right." Hinata tentatively threw out while gazing at Gaara's red hair as it gleamed in the soft light given off by the lamp sitting on his desk. Looking up, Gaara's eyes calmly looked at her face as he quietly answered.

"Much like the wind she controls, Temari can be gentle and comforting one moment, then howl and rage like the mightiest sandstorm the next. Unfortunately, she also cannot cook to save herself, so in a few minutes I will probably go help her." Snapping his book shut, Gaara laid it down on the desk and stood from his chair. Hinata couldn't bring herself to suggest that they work instead on what Temari told them to, figuring he would dismiss it and her in the same breath. Moreover, she wasn't exactly keen on teaching the Kazekage how to flirt with young women in any case, so she simply nodded and moved towards the door to head back to the living room.

"Where are you going?" His curious voice brought her to a halt and she turned to look at him, her eyebrows furrowing in her own confusion.

"You just said you were going to help Temari, so I assumed it would be best for me to wait somewhere I would be out of the way. I'm not much use in the kitchen." Gaara tilted his head ever so slightly to the left as if to show his own puzzlement.

"You can't cook?" Hinata gave a small smile as she looked away from him, down the hall towards the kitchen.

"Yes, I can cook, but it's far from being delicious, and I'm much better at doing things like desserts or chocolates than actual dishes." She clasped her hands together at her waist and fiddled with her fingers, one of the few traits she hadn't been able to rid herself from over the years. However, now the gesture was mostly used when she wasn't entirely sure what to do in a situation than an indication of any real anxiety or nervousness.

Gaara noticed the small gesture, however, and leaned back against the deck he had moved to stand before. He let his arms fall to his sides so his palms pressed flat against the dark wood of the desk, and tried to exude an aura of casual peace. Temari was always berating him for intimidating young women and while sometimes he did it on purpose, like in the bazaar earlier that day, he was not trying for that now. If Hinata was going to try to help him get a wife, he needed to try to make her comfortable around him so she wouldn't feel awkward about what she might try to teach him.

"That's interesting, but what I originally meant was why were you leaving? Temari told us to try to work on what you might be able to help me with as regards my… socializing skills with women." Gaara carefully phrased the expression, knowing all too well how easily someone like Kankuro could mislead it to be something less than worthy for polite conversation.

Hinata cleared her throat and twined her fingers together to keep herself from twiddling them. She felt slightly embarrassed that she had mistook the Kazekage's, she meant, Gaara's, words. But it was an easy mistake, and she looked back over at him to see his relaxed words and posture. She realized they were for her, and she felt a light blush grace her cheeks that it had been so easy for him to notice her discomfort at the situation. Taking a step towards him, she gave him a gentle smile to show her appreciation for the gesture.

"It seemed by your interest in your book that you did not wish to work on Temari's 'project' as you call it , so I had decided to just go wait for dinner. I apologize for not actually asking your opinion on the matter to verify such an assumption." She tilted forward slightly in a small bow to show her contrition.

"You're so formal. Please, I asked you earlier to try to treat me like another shinobi if we are to treat each other casually for the next few months while working on this." Gaara gave a small frown and leaned forward, hands loosely clasped in his lap. Temari seemed certain that Hinata Hyuuga could help him, and he was determined that she should be comfortable while doing so. Even if he had to act a bit more outgoing than he liked to someone he wasn't thoroughly acquainted with.

"I'm sorry. It's a habit since I still consider you my employer." Gaara gave a small smile, and Hinata looked at him curiously as he sat in front of her. She wasn't sure why the young man before her was suddenly starting to emerge from his shell and being more sociable than her, but she had to admit it was a pleasant change from his earlier silent behavior.

"I think what I usually like the most about Konoha shinobi is their willingness to treat people like themselves instead of standing on rank or position. Its how Naruto has always treated me, and I guess I got so used to it that I'm unsure how to convince you that I prefer being treated just like Gaara, instead of the Kazekage." Hinata nodded, understanding what he was trying to ask of her. It was something she had struggled with for years against her family, trying to get them to see _her,_ instead of the image they had in their heads of what the heiress to the clan should be. It was a battle she had eventually given up on, and she felt more respect for Gaara that he had stuck with it and prevailed where she had faltered. But she couldn't express that to him, so used a common friend of theirs instead.

"I understand Gaara. It's what I always liked about Naruto too, he believed in me and treated me like Hinata instead of the heiress to the Hyuuga clan." She took a deep breath and bit her lip, having forgotten that she could no longer claim such a position. Quickly pushing past it, she instead looked closely at the man before her. He was like Naruto in some ways. While she had long ago gotten over the fierce crush she had had on the blond shinobi, she would still do anything to help a friend of his as recompense for how he had helped her grow as a person over the years.

"So, what exactly do you want me to do to help you, Gaara?"

He glanced away toward one of the tan walls of his office, considering how much to tell her about his position. Temari, thankfully, hadn't mentioned it earlier in public, but Hinata would find out eventually when he did get married. He would explain some of it.

"Well, as Temari said earlier I am not particularly skillful when it comes to those of the opposite sex beyond directing the village ninja. The village council thinks that as a young, powerful Kazekage it would be good for the village if I married; or even just became engaged. So, Temari thinks I should be more knowledgeable about women, so I don't offend some lord's daughter." He shifted and looked Hinata in the eye as he asked for her help. Hinata, for her part, looked thoughtful for a moment before smiling, then giggling. Her hand came up to cover her mouth, but she couldn't seem to contain herself.

"What's so funny?" Gaara's brow furrowed as he looked at her, unsure of what was so amusing about his situation. He was irritated with the whole thing, himself.

"As someone who used to be a very eligible bride, I can tell you that as soon as you announce you are even looking for a girl to have an affair with you will be swamped with women from all over trying to seduce you into their beds and into their grasp." Gaara frowned, having not considered that. Hinata continued on however with more information that worried him.

"And if you are 'unskilled' as you say in dealing with women then you are sure to be in a lot of trouble when they and many of their rich and powerful fathers come knocking to convince you to sign a marriage contract." Hinata's giggles had ceased as she related her knowledge, Gaara's troubled expression apparently dampening her humor.

"Gaara, I've been on only a few missions as a kunoichi that have required me to use my talents as a woman. So I may be a bit rusty. Nevertheless, I will try to consider you for a while as someone I have been sent to seduce for some purpose or other, and we'll see how well you can respond to various techniques I know. From there we can work on your responses, and other subjects that you may be curious about. It will help you, I think." Gaara merely nodded. He was glad Hinata had grasped what he had been getting at, but wasn't entirely sure what she referred to when she said she was going to try seduction techniques on him.

But he sat there, and waited to see what she was going to do.

**Yeah... I cut it off here so that the chapter wouldn't be _way_ too long. Like around 6,000 words. This means chapter 7 will be horribly long and painful for me, but hopefully wonderfully amusing for you guys out there. **

**Till next time! ~KC**


	7. Author's Note

**Hey, guys and gals. Sorry to do this, but I'm afraid I have a few problems that I need to inform you, the reader, about.**

**Before you panic, NO, I AM NOT STOPPING ITTtL. But, I do need a new beta for the story, starting immediately with the highly anticipated Chapter 7.**

**I need someone who is consistently online, like every other day or two, and can quickly get a response back to me on whatever I send them. While I am solid on grammar and spelling someone who is experienced at helping with plot complexities and strategies would be the most useful to me at this point, as well as character develpoment and psychology so I make sure that any Naruto characters I bring in don't deviate too much from the actual character's personality.**

**So, if you want to help out please send me a PM. **

**Hope to actually give you guys the next chapter soon!**

**~KC**


	8. Chapter 7

So… it's been way too long, hasn't it? Embarrassingly so, I'd even say. I can only pray that you readers out there don't go _"What's this? I don't even remember what this story was about. Whatever." _or _"I thought this thing was dead!" ._

I lost my inspiration for this story a few months back, and my computer crashing due to a virus didn't help. But now that I've had a while to step back, take a breather, and sort out what I'm doing and where I want things to go I'm hoping I can keep this thing consistently updated every two weeks or so. Some excellent advice from Michelle18, author of the wonderful GaaHina story Grains of Sand didn't hurt either.

So, uh… Hope this gets everyone interested in the story again.

Disclaimer: Naruto is a copyrighted work by Masashi Kishimoto. This story is not intended for any sort of profit, and will never be published as a derivative work or original work.

* * *

Chapter 7

Hinata stood uncertainly in front of Gaara, racking her brain about what she should do now. Saying that she was willing to help him was one thing. Actually trying to seduce the Kazekage was another thing entirely. She had only done this sort of thing twice before Neji had found out and her father had forbidden her from taking seduction missions ever again. At the time it had been to preserve her 'purity' for when she would have been wed in an arranged marriage. Right now she wished she had gone with Ino's suggestion of doing it behind her family's back. But at the time Hinata had been unable to even look Naruto in the eye without fainting. She had assumed that if she tried to actually seduce a man she would end up with a heart attack.

Taking a deep breath to try to calm herself, Hinata took a step back and gave Gaara a tentative smile. Though it turned out looking more like a grimace. "As I said before, I haven't done this in a long time so… please give me a moment to recall the jutsu." Gaara only nodded again, expression calm though there was a curious glint to his eye, and Hinata quickly turned her gaze down to her hands, clasped loosely over her stomach. She had been trying harder to look people in the eye when she spoke to them after Temari told her about Gaara on her first day here, but it was still hard sometimes. She had become stronger over the years, but being shy was just in her nature.

'_Focus, Hinata. It can't be that different. So he's younger, stronger, and more alert. He's completely new to this, and hopefully that will help.' _Lifting her hands up to her chest Hinata closed her eyes and slowly started to move her hands in the movements needed for the justu. She focused completely on making sure that she had all the hand signs right, and on the amount of chakra the move needed.

"Seduction." She whispered, activating the technique and enveloping herself in a purple mist that obscured her figure. It was a standard type of genjutsu that many kunoichi used for assassination missions. It changed the appearance of the woman to one that was pleasing to the target, making it easier for him to then be lured into a vulnerable position and killed. Hinata was unsure what she would look like to Gaara now, but she still wore the same short and tank top from the marketplace.

"Gaara." She pitched her voice so it was a bit lower than normal, and a bit throaty. She slowly moved towards him, blushing lightly at the sway she put into her hips but trying to mimic the way she remembered Ino acting during the last mission they did together like this. Stopping mere inches from him she leaned down so that he chest was at a height with his eyes, but was grateful that Gaara kept eye contact with her. Though she could see that his eyes had visibly widened and his nostrils were flared. Maybe there was some smell that went along with the genjutsu.

Hinata paused for a moment, unsure as how to proceed next. Gaara was much harder to read then the last two men she had done this jutsu on. Those men had licked their lips, their eyes roaming over her body and they had quickly made the suggestion to take her to a quieter place. Where she killed them. This was too different. While Gaara's eyes had widened, he didn't show any signs of attraction. He seemed interested in what she was doing, and a little surprised at first, but that was not what she was trying to achieve.

So she started small. She raised a hand to lightly land on his wrist, her thumb stroking the pale skin by the sleeve of his coat as she continued to hold eye contact. "Gaara," she whispered, voice a little huskier now, "you look so handsome in this light." It wasn't even a complete lie-- to many women Gaara was extremely attractive, and Hinata acknowledged that there was something about him that held your attention.

"I'm not sure what that was to do with you touching my wrist Hinata." If Gaara had eyebrows Hinata could easily imagine one being raised upward to emphasize his obliviousness at what she was doing. With an inward sigh she wondered just how far she would have to embarrass herself to test Gaara's boundaries with the female body. Hopefully Temari of Kankuro wouldn't come in right now…

"Well, if you want me to touch something else, just tell me Gaara." Hinata inwardly cringed at herself as she fluttered her eyelashes demurely and raised her hand to stroke Gaara's cheek. She barely knew Gaara, and yet here she was talking to him and touching him as if they were lovers.

'_You told yourself this was a mission. So squash down these silly thoughts and emotions and start acting like the kunoichi you are.' _As if she was suddenly going to kill him, Hinata turned off her emotions and leaned forward to try and wrap her arms around Gaara's neck.

Only to have both of his hands resting on her shoulders, stopping her from moving.

-----------------

The iron skillet went flying by Kankuro's head, the only thing saving him his shinobi training. The pan went on to crash against the far wall of Temari's kitchen a loud clang and yet another dent in the much abused wall before dropping to the floor with another metallic crash. As Kankuro watched, the potentially lethal object rattled its way to a halt on the floor and blackened objects that might have once been some sort of meat rolled out, physics finally acting upon them now that their wild ride from the stove was over.

"Gah, I hate cooking!" Temari growled and planted her fists on her waist as she scowled at the pan she had just flung. Kankuro could only nod in agreement as he looked down at the gravy he had been making now that his head was no longer in danger. He only sighed when he saw that it had turned an odd fuchsia color. Giving it a morose look, he glanced over at Temari, who was picking up the pan and the pork scattered on the floor.

"Why are we cooking again? We obviously suck and Gaara's home to make something edible." Temari met Kankuro's dejected comment with a quick smack upside the head that dislodged his head covering.

"Idiot! Hinata's helping Gaara come up with a plan to improve his finesse with women, he can't be cooking!" Kankuro, after straightening his hat with a grumble, snorted and gave a suspicious glare at his older sister.

"Tch, as if Gaara needs help getting women to fall at his feet. All he needs to do is smile now and again and he'll be trying to get women _off _of him. Sounds to me like you're trying to play matchmaker again Tem. And I think we both know how badly that turned out last time with Matsuri and that guy from… was it Wave or Grass? " Temari sniffed haughtily and crossed her arms, slightly put out that her plan had been that obvious to figure out, but unwilling to acknowledge either her plan or the reference to what had been a disastrous event for both Matsuri and the poor Wave ninja.

"I am not. And even if I was, it's not as if Hinata would be a bad choice for Gaara. She's calm, polite, nice, and a competent shinobi. Moreover, since she's from Konoha the council wouldn't be able to do any harm to her unless they wanted to incite Konoha, and we all know what a bad idea it is to tick off Lady Tsunade, the current Hokage." Kankuro merely raised an eyebrow at her well-formed answer and walked over to the sink to try to scrape out his solidified concoction. "What was with that expression?" She huffed, walking over to poke Kankuro between the shoulder blades.

"Hinata's also a Hyuuga, Tem. You don't think Konoha is just going to hand over a member of one of their strongest clans? And I thought Hinata was the older sister, so wouldn't that make her the heir?"

"Not anymore. It's public knowledge in Konoha that Hinata was disowned by her father, and is no longer the clan heiress." Kankuro turned around, kunai solidly planted in the now olive-colored solid in the pot. "And... why does no one tell me anything?"

"Because even Gaara is amused by the expression on your face right now. I'll just go check on them." Kankuro grunted at her as she swiftly left her kitchen, but she wasn't sure if it was an acknowledgment of her or because he was looking at his expression in the reflection of the kunai.

Leaving the kitchen and resignedly noting how much better it smelled outside of the cooking area, she strolled through her living room and down the hallway. She could see light spilling out of the open doorway to the small study and library she had left Gaara and Hinata in earlier, and from the silence, she hoped nothing had gone wrong. As she peeked around the door frame she blinked, and then a wolfish grin spread across face.

Gaara, eyes widened and fingers clenched around the edge of his desk, was warily eying Hinata. Temarirecognized the genjutsu Hinata was currently using, and while she was wondering why Hinata was merely standing there, she also didn't want to intrude. Taking a step back she turned to head back to the kitchen.

"Ah, wait Temari." Hinata'squiet voice from the study made Temari poke her head inside the study.

"What is it, Hinata? I didn't need anything, I just wanted to see how your planning was going. I didn't expect you to already be trying out something like _that _on him though." From the corner of her eye, she could see Gaara's eyes narrow a bit at her tone, and Hinata'a cheeks turned a rosy pink. She hurriedly dispelled the jutsu, and Temari noted with a small smile how Gaara instantly relaxed at Hinata's reversion to her former appearance.

"W-well, I thought I could try to see how well he could withstand a stronger technique that we both know some shinobi women will try on him, one based off of things normal women do all of the time to seduce men, and from there I thought we could think of some ways that he could deal with that while also incorporating some basic courtship techniques that he might need." Hinata glanced over at Gaara for a moment before returning her gaze to Temari. "But, um... he called an end to it pretty quickly."

"That's because your eyes were lying." Gaara's quiet comment made Temari bite her lip, figuring he would have noticed something like that. Gaara had used the phrase often, saying he had gotten it from Naruto. Probably because both were so used to people lying to them. Looking at Hinata, Temari could tell that the woman knew exactly what Gaara was talking about. Gaara continued to speak, quietly explaining his comment. "Although your display of skin and your different tone of voice was initially distracting, the smell and slight blurring of the air around you only adding to this effect, you did kept eye contact with me the whole time. It allowed me to see that although you were trying to show attraction and admiration you were actually very flustered and uncomfortable being that close to my person." Hinata's face lit up with a bright blush, and she didn't say anything against his statement.

"It was the trigger that reminded me that it was a genjutsu, only a technique. Did you do that on purpose, to show me that many of the women who will be courting me will also say and do one thing, but will be feeling and thinking another?"

"U-um, no. Not really. But that is a very good lesson to keep in mind. Very good, Gaara." As she beamed at him clapping suddenly came from the doorway. He looked over Hinata's shoulder as she turned around to see Kankuro standing there smirking.

"She's right, Gaara. Most men would have crumpled under what Hinata was just doing. Which is also why most of them are killed. I know I wouldn't have been able to control myself that well if Hina-chan cooed like that at me. Especially in an outfit like that!" He gave a low whistle that was quickly cut off by Temari clearing her throat menacingly. After making sure Kankuro had no other comments to offer about Hinata's genjutsu Temari made her own comments about the jutsu.

"It's better to do it like that so that a kunoichi can seduce her target, bring him to a secluded room, and then quickly dispel the jutsu and kill the target. If Hinata actually had to wear a dress like that, it would confine her movement. Not to mention a dress that fine would cost a fair amount of money. Getting blood all over it would be a waste of resources." Hinata nodded along at the explanation, adding her own comment at the end. "It's a moderately high-level technique, but still commonly used by anyone above a chunnin level. I thought it would be a good thing to use just to see how good you are at controlling natural urges of the body."

"And so, how did Gaara do overall, Hinata?" Kankuro rested an elbow on Gaara's shoulder as he said this, choosing to ignore Gaara's frown in his direction at the added weight.

"Well, he was certainly able to detect my true feelings quickly, which I suppose was to be expected. Being Kazekage requires a person to be able to quickly find a person's true motives underneath their mask." She paused and gave Gaara a curious glance. "While I do recognize the fact that you were mainly put off by my eyes Gaara, I do have one observation." Gaara shifted under Kankuro's arm, returning Hinata's gaze steadily, but with a similar curiosity in his green orbs.

"And that is...?"

"It wasn't until I became physically close to you that you were quick to stop me from moving, going so far to grab me by the shoulders and forcefully push me away." Temari immediately turned to Gaara, scolding words on the tip of her tongue. But at his visibly remorseful expression she merely huffed and shook her head. It certainly explained their positions when she first looked. Gaara, startled at his own actions and unsure what to do next, and Hinata merely standing there until Gaara decided to continue or not.

"That's true, I was unwilling to let you become so close to my person when I was certain you did not want to be." Gaara's gaze was stubbornly fixed on the windowsill. Just because he wished to have someone become close to him emotionally in a way that differed from his siblings did not mean that he was comfortable with someone that close to him. Hinata had been lucky he had not felt threatened, or she would have found herself automatically encased in sand.

"Gaara, if you can't even get the girl close to you how are you going to kiss her? Or do other things?" Kankuro waggled his eyebrows suggestively, and Gaara glowered at his older brother even as he finally pushed his arm off of his shoulder. Temari also scowled at Kankuro, swatting his on his other arm from where she stood next to Hinata.

"Only a pervert like you would immediately come to that conclusion. But," Temari sighed, looking apologetically at Gaara, "he's right. You can't have a relationship with someone if you can't get within a couple feet of them." Hinata nodded ruefully. It had been one of the main reasons she knew she had to get over Naruto. She would have never been able to have a romantic relationship with him if she couldn't even shake his hand without fainting for a half-hour.

"It is a big issue, so I think that making you more comfortable with physical contact with other people is something we should work on later, when you're ready to go on a date. For next time, I think we should start out with conversation starters and how to respond to light flirting." Temari nodded approvingly to Hinata's plan, and Gaara thoughtfully glanced down at his hands before nodding.

Kankuro merely rubbed his stomach. "Now that that's settled, can we go out to dinner now? Because we're not eating anything Temari or I made, that's for sure." Temari grimaced, and contrite expression on her face as she recalled the scorched pork sitting in her garbage can.

"True enough. After dinner I should probably walk you back to the guest quarters Hinata. You have to go back to the hospital tomorrow." Gaara, who had moved to the window to water a small row of cactuses sitting there, turned to address Hinata.

"When will our next meeting be? I have several important papers to go over tomorrow, and an Academy inspection the day after that along with patrol scheduling with some of my jonin."

"Hmm… I have a class for some of the younger medics the next few days too. Maybe in four days?" Temari was privately dismayed at this large gap of time before the next lesson, but she had things to do too. But Gaara nodded, and Kankuro was already moving towards the door.

"Let's go already. The barbeque place near the bazaar is having a steak special! Not everyday they have fresh beef." With a long-suffering sigh Temari followed after Kankuro, commenting that it sounded like he was planning this all along.

Gaara and Hinata looked at each other for only a moment before Hinata quickly followed after Temari, a light blush on her face. Gaara brought up the rear, pondering sending Naruto a letter on what was going on. He considered Naruto to be his closest friend, and hopefully the now married shinobi would have some things to say about Gaara's dilemma.

* * *

Question: Would anyone be interested in seeing Naruto, Sakura and a baby show up in Suna? I'm still toying with the idea and the implications it could have... and whether or not I could write them convincingly. I have a hard enough time with Gaara and Hinata!


	9. Chapter 8

Sorry for the wait, but this chapter is quite a bit longer than the norm. Yes, that is a usable excuse. Yes, I am using it.

Thanks to any and all reviewers, you will be dearly loved and usually responded to. To those who read and don't review… well, thanks for reading, I guess? Plus adding the story to you favorites and/or alerting in many cases. Although it's always best to get written feedback about what you like and don't like about each chapter, what keeps you reading or what turned you off if this is the last chapter you read of this story. I hope not.

I know this author's note is getting long, but I swear this is the last thing I have to say, and it's kind of important. This story has a new beta! **KickAssKunoichi** is the name, so let's hope she'll help the story move along nicely over the summer. Although the summer is quickly disappearing...

**Disclaimer:**Naruto is a copyrighted work by Masashi Kishimoto. This story is not intended for any sort of profit, and will never be published as a derivative work or original work.

* * *

Chapter 8

"That's right, just follow that vein up the shoulder and the chakra point is right there. Mm, a little to the left. Yes, right there. Now, just focus the chakra on your finger tips and press…" Hinata smiled encouragingly at the girl in front of her, watching with her Byakugan activated as the girl pumped healing jutsu into the genin's shoulder. The young boy had his muscles torn in a taijutsu training accident at the Suna Academy, and as he was fast asleep was a good candidate for her small class of medics to train on.

"Ah, I can already feel the muscle knitting itself together much faster Hyuuga-san." The girl chirped happily, cutting off her flow of chakra. "So as long as we memorize where the chakra points are in the body, could we really keep doing this, do you think?"

"I don't see why not. You would have to know exactly where each one is, and it can't be used for everything, but for most minor injuries like this and injuries related to ninjutsu it should help shinobi get back into action much quicker. It was very useful back in Konoha." The girl nodded and turned back to the boy to see if he needed any other help, and Hinata moved on to the next student to see how he was dealing with the other genin involved.

The class as a whole had done excellently over the past few days, and this was the first time Hinata had let them try a hands-on experience with what she had taught them. They were doing wonderfully, and hopefully it would allow Hinata to have more time to relax or work on more serious operations.

After a few more patients Hinata dismissed them all, chatting for a while with a few of the older medics and praising the younger ones. Looking out the window she noted the setting sun, and after excusing herself she headed downstairs to collect her regular clothes to exchange for the scrubs she currently had on. Tonight was the next meeting with Gaara, though she had been informed that first he would be cooking dinner to avoid what had happened last time.

Hinata allowed herself a quiet giggle as she pulled on the dark grey t-shirt she had worn earlier that morning. Temari and Kankuro were entertainment just by themselves as they had argued back and forth over the table at the barbecue restaurant, and Gaara's quiet, sarcastic remarks only made the older siblings funnier as they brought Gaara into the ragging game they had been playing. It had reminded her of when Kiba and Ino were stuck together in the same room, constantly throwing insults at each other but at the end of the night still able to turn around and give her a friendly send-off as she returned to the Hyuuga compound.

It made her wonder what the atmosphere would be like tonight as she started Gaara's first real lesson. Temari, for all her casual ribbing, seemed really protective of Gaara, and Kankuro just as much if in a more boyish way of perverted jokes and physical jabs. While last time had been a testing of Gaara's limits, and necessary to know where to begin, she wondered how much both siblings would want to help her with Gaara. She was only going to work on small talk that he could use on a date today, but she would still appreciate the help. She was unsure how she had been able to pull of that genjutsu last time, and wasn't sure she would be able to be stuck alone with Gaara for a long period of time again without making a complete fool of herself. Waving goodbye to the receptionist at the front desk Hinata let her body automatically make its way through the streets as her thoughts continued.

She supposed it was because of his quiet strength. Naruto had always been overwhelming because of the loud vibrancy and optimism with which he displayed himself to the world, even when he was suffering. Gaara, on the other hand, had channeled his previous rage to the world into a silent sort of fortitude. It was his shield, and while he seemed to be trying to lower it around his people, Hinata had seen that he could not lower that shield with another individual besides his siblings.

_'It's not as if I can do that either. I had to use a genjutsu to get that close to him; physically I was standing two feet away from him the whole time. I guess I'll have to teach myself to be able to get that intimately close to someone as I teach Gaara...'_Hinata sighed and clasped her hands together at her waist, resisting the urge to let them nervously push together. This was not what she had signed up for when she had accepted the mission to come to Suna.

* * *

_Gaara,_

_It's always great to hear from you, and I'm glad to hear that Suna is prospering in the short amount of peace we've been having. Konoha, as you know, is doing great. Heck, I'm doing great. Sakura is already recovered from giving birth to our beautiful baby girl. We haven't decided on a name yet, as I just can't decide on something that captures her spirit, and Sakura has let me choose. She's very energetic, and keeps us up half the night, but besides that she just eats and sleeps. Doesn't really give me a hint on a name, you know? _

_But enough about me. I'm sorry to hear about the situation that the council has tried to force down your throat. It's horrible that you're being forced into a relationship with someone. We both know how hard it can be to let down those walls and let a person in after all that has happened to us. I was extremely lucky that Sakura fell in love with me after all of those years of chasing. And I had years to seriously consider my feelings for Sakura. From what you've described, you have a year at best. _

_As far as dating tips go though... I've got nothing. My senseis are both Konoha's biggest perverts, so anything I've learned from them will probably make you tick off women. As it is Sakura slugged me a few times when we first started dating because of things I tried out in those boring books Ero-sennin wrote. Again, thankful she was knew what she wanted and was willing to put up with me. I would say, being gentle is what most girls like. Sakura really likes it when I open up and am really sensitive. But if she's a kunoichi be careful, because at a certain point they suddenly get mad at you and think you're being over-protective. That's when Sakura goes to Ino and Tenten and they spend the rest of the day ranting about sexism. Not good. _

_But at least you were lucky enough to get Hinata to help you. I forgot she had gone in Sakura's place because of the baby. Hinata's one of the sweetest, kindest people I know. She can be a bit quiet and shy sometimes, but you're quiet too Gaara so I guess that can only help you two get along. You appreciate silence. What's best about Hinata though is that she's supportive. I didn't realize it until years later, but even when I was a genin Hinata was always silently supporting me to do better from the sidelines. She appreciates that sometimes people have to work from the bottom up, and there's a certain strength in simply getting back up every time you fall. It's why she's such a good medic I guess, she prefers to take care of people rather than fight them._

_You mentioned that she's giving you lessons, right? Yeah, I just checked your letter. Well, that's better than Temari. No offense Gaara, but your sister is way dominant after dealing with Shikamaru all the time. She'd probably make you as meek as he gets after she's done giving him a tongue lashing. Hinata will probably make you really sensitive and thoughtful... but you are already, so I think what you're mostly going to be doing is learning how to come out of your shell a bit. If you want to date Gaara you're going to have to learn how to open up to people you're not best friends with. I know that's kind of hypocritical since I still don't come clean with Sakura sometimes, but you have to make the effort you know? After all, you have to stay Kazekage long enough so that when I become the next Hokage we can both protect our villages together! _

_I'll try and see if I can't visit in a month or two. Right now I have to stay with Sakura though. Ah, speaking of which, the baby starting crying again. _

_Good Luck Gaara!_

_Naruto_

"Thanks for the great advice Naruto." Gaara murmured, shaking his head as he lay the letter down on his desk. Gaara valued Naruto as his best friend, most likely the only person who understood him even more than his siblings. But in this matter it seemed that Naruto was simply lucky, and could offer him nothing but information about Hinata and tell him things he already knew. Perhaps if he came to visit he would be able to offer some more practical advice, but all the way in Konoha, with other things on his mind, Naruto seemed distracted and his thoughts scattered even in the letter. Gaara could only guess that Naruto was short on sleep. Kankuro had said something to the effect that babies were like he was when Shukaku was inside him- never sleeping, and temperamental. Gaara had glared at him for the second bit, but had taken him at his word for the first.

He picked up the letter again to fold it up and place it in his pocket. He never liked to leave personal objects in his office. It was why there were no pictures on his desk or paintings on his walls. Only a few plants and stacks of paperwork. Looking at the latter, Gaara wished that he had not taken that day off earlier in the week. He seemed to be continually behind, and now it was even worse. There was always another building permit to be signed, another mission to be assigned, and dignitaries and leaders to keep up correspondences with. It made him wonder what the council did.

But as he turned in his chair to look outside Gaara gave a quiet sigh and stood up. The paperwork would have to wait until later. He had to go home and cook dinner so that Temari and Kankuro didn't force them all to have to go eat out again with their atrocious cooking. And then, the lesson with Hinata Hyuuga. Which, to be honest, he was unsure about.

The genjutsu she had pulled last time had thrown him off. It had all felt so real. As if she really had come up to him, talked to him like that, and tried to kiss him. And the last part had been what had made him stop her. Or at least, have her stop the genjutsu. And she had even done that with skill, making the illusion step back to where she was as if she really had moved. Gaara frowned slightly as he walked down the street to his home. He had accepted and implemented the idea of getting closer to his people. He had even craved it. But that genjutsu had made him realize that he was far from close to his village.

They accepted his presence, and even acknowledged him as someone they respected. But there was still something dividing him from his people, and it was a wall he had put up himself. He watched them from a distance, watched them live their lives while he sat on the sidelines and fixed something if it went wrong. As he reached out to open the door Gaara paused. Maybe that was why the council wanted him to marry a villager. So that he would have some sort of physical attachment to the village.

A few seconds later Gaara snorted at such a silly thought and let himself inside, nodding a greeting to Kankuro as his brother lay on the couch, tinkering with his puppet. Temari was nowhere to be seen, and after Kankuro waved back Gaara headed straight into the kitchen, silently pulling out various utensils he would need. He simply focused on dinner at that point, keeping his mind from dwelling on his social ties with his village.

An hour later, as he pulled the meat out of the oven and pulled the rice off of the stove, he heard the door open and both Temari's and Hinata's voices and they greeted Kankuro. He considered coming out of the kitchen to greet them, but figured that he would see them in a few minutes as they ate. Picking up a bowl filled with rice, he turned to almost run into Temari as she came in.

"Ah, sorry Gaara. Here, I'll grab that." She relieved him of the bowl and gave him a cheerful grin. "Smells good. Makes you glad we're such good neighbors with Konoha, or we'd never get food like this." Gaara, picking up the meat platter, could only agree.

"It would be difficult for us to raise cattle or grow rice in a desert. But I think, should Konoha decided to refuse us trade, we would be able to trade with other countries for such resources fairly easily due to the mines in our northwest mountain range. Those precious stones will always be valued for the jewelry that can be made with them. And the iron ore found there is essential for the forging of weapons." At Temari's odd look, he simply said, "You can never know what the future brings, it's good to be aware of what I can use to make sure the Wind Country can survive."

Temari just sighed and headed for the table. "You think my comments through too much sometimes Gaara. Even for a shinobi."

Hinata and Kankuro were already seated across from each other at the table, and Hinata was listening politely as Kankuro tried to explain the advantages of the upgrades he had made to his puppet.

"And that way, it'll be harder for the chakra threads to- Oh, dinner's ready." Kankuro immediately switched his attention to filling his dish, and Hinata was left unsure of what to say for a moment until Temari sat down next to her and addressed her.

"So Hinata, how's the hospital?" With a grateful smile for starting the conversation Hinata quickly tried to sum up the last few days.

"Well, since everyone in your staff is so proficient with Sakura's style of healing I took aside a few of the better medics and I've been teaching them about chakra points and my own method of healing. At the rate they learn, Suna may not need Konoha's assistance in that field for much longer." Temari grinned at the complement to her village, but Kankuro groaned.

"But Hinata, how else are we supposed to get such beautiful young women such as yourself to stay for more than a day or two?" He pouted at her teasingly and Hinata lifted a hand to cover her mouth as she tried not to giggle, even as she blushed.

"Is this what I'm going to be learning to do?" Gaara asked, brows lifted as he regarded Kankuro and Hinata.

"If you ever want to get laid, then yes. Complimenting a girl is usually a step in the right direction." Kankuro said, smirking at his younger brother before taking another bite of his meal. Temari rolled her eyes and looked over at Gaara.

"Yes, I'm sure Hinata can go over some basic compliments that most girls appreciate. That doesn't mean a girl will fall in love with you and marry you however. And it's definitely not a translation for 'getting laid'." Temari gave Kankuro a look, as Gaara nodded in understanding.

"Gaara, I, um, can understand why you might not have much experience with dating. But why do you seem to know so little about girls at all? I mean you have Temari as your sister…" Hinata's hesitant question caught all three siblings by surprise. Kankuro paused as he was about to take another bite of food, and slowly lowered his utensil as he looked between Temari and Gaara. Temari looked sheepish. Gaara was thoughtful.

"Temari and I did not really talk to each other as siblings until I was about thirteen." Gaara said after a moment. "I was not emotionally stable back then, and I could easily tell Temari and Kankuro were terrified by my mood swings and my easy ability to kill. It wasn't until the chunnin exams all those years ago when Naruto defeated me that I finally calmed down and tried to live life a different, calmer way. And even then, I became closer to Kankuro first before I tried to really get to know Temari as my sister."

"Kankuro and I were so unused to Gaara as a more calm, caring person that it took us a while to truly try to bond with him as our younger sibling. It was easier for Kankuro because he could relate to Gaara a bit more as another guy. It's only been in the past three years, since Gaara was about sixteen that we've gotten along to some degree." Temari quietly added to Gaara's explanation, a slightly ashamed look on her face. But Gaara only nodded and continued.

"By that point Temari was already a jonin, and extremely busy with being the ambassador to Konoha. And as I was Kazekage, I too was busy with taking care of Suna. Neither of us had the time, or the inclination, to sit down and discuss our love lives. There is always a possibility that one of us will be put into an arranged marriage because of our status within the village." Gaara's voice hardened a bit at the end, and Hinata bit her lip. She knew what it was like. For the past four years there had been an almost continuous stream of messengers into the Hyuuga compound competing for the hand of the wealthy Hyuuga heiress. Hinata had had to deal with countless suitors, both young and old. While at the time she had mostly been sick of her father's censure, after a few days of freedom from her family Hinata had also realized the happy fact that she was now free to choose her own husband. And have as many or as few children as she so wished.

"In the end it's mostly my fault," Temari continued. "Gaara has never expressed much of an interest in the opposite sex until recently, so I never really considered having to sit down and explain the opposite sex to him. Even if the topic stayed far away from marriage." Temari sighed and looked pensively at her empty plate for a moment before looking up to smile at Hinata. "I'm sorry that the task has fallen on you, but I think you would do a better job at it than I could."

"Don't say that Temari, I'm sure you would be wonderful-"

"It's okay Hinata, I'm not a softy sister by any means. I'm better at beating my two brothers into shape, and something like this... it needs a delicate touch." Temari smirked and turned her attention back to her plate. Hinata, sensing the subject was closed, also regarded her plate, working on some of the food placed on there by Kankuro while she had been talking. It was as good as the last time Gaara had cooked, and Hinata enjoyed the simple yet savory flavor as a brief silence settled over the group.

After a few minutes Kankuro pushed his plate away and sighed, smacking his lips before slapping Gaara on the back. "Good job Gaara. I'm going to go work on my puppet some more, so good luck with the lesson." Gaara nodded and Temari and Hinata gave brief goodbyes as Kankuro headed to the living room to pick up his puppet before he walked down the hall and shut the door to his room behind him.

"Well, we all seem to be done eating. I'll clear the table, so why don't you two go ahead and get started?" Temari said, standing up and stacking plates in front of her as she took them from Hinata and Gaara. Gaara stood from his place at the table and waited until Hinata was standing before moving forward towards the hall. At the door to the study he paused to open it and let her go ahead of him.

"Thank you Gaara. That was very chivalrous of you." She smiled at him and while he did not smile back, she thought he seemed pleased to have remembered a small detail like opening the door for a young woman.

As they both came inside Hinata noted that Gaara had set up an extra chair in the room from the last time she had been there. It stood in front of the desk, and she settled herself on it as Gaara went around to sit at the actual desk. For a moment there was silence between the two, but it was comfortable as both organized their thoughts.

"What are we doing today?" Gaara asked, breaking the silence. He sat casually in his chair, hands clasped loosely in his lap and eyes trained on Hinata. She kept her gaze on him too, and noticed that is was easier to meet his eyes than when she had first met him. His intensely green eyes were still slightly intimidating, but he seemed to be trying to make himself seem more open and gentle. She put this down to her unease in the beginning of their previous lesson, and appreciated it now as much as she did then.

"I think today we can start off with conversations." She smiled softly and ducked her head in mild embarrassment. "It's something I don't excel in either, but it does make a big first impression when you are meeting a date." Gaara nodded in understanding.

"Similar to the way that I must converse pleasantly with diplomats from surrounding countries."

"Exactly. In the beginning you must present a pleasant facade along with a string of general phrases that will show you are polite and friendly. Just like when you are talking politics, talking to the opposite sex can be a strategic game of saying the right thing at the right time." Gaara looked down at the table for a moment before returning his gaze to Hinata. A small smile was on his face, and it softened his eyes and made him look much more approachable. Although looking at him closely, Hinata could still see that it wasn't a genuine smile. It was the fake smile of one who must smile many times but does not wish to. Hinata recognized it from the various instances she used it herself while carrying out duties as the heiress to the Hyuuga clan.

"That's a good start. I would make sure that you work on making the smile more genuine, as many of your suitors wil be girls from high-born families, and they will be able to tell if your smile is forced." Gaara's smile quickly disappeared at her comment and he frowned at her.

"But if I am not pleased then I cannot truly smile. Smiling is something that I do only when I am truly content with the situation at hand. I only do it now because I must in order to retain a good reputation as Kazekage." Hinata sighed at the stubborn look on his face. Mentally reviewing the list of things she was taught as a child, she sat up straighter in her chair and leaned forward.

"Yes, but perhaps you can try thinking of something that _does_give you pleasure. It occasionally helps me when I am uncomfortable but have to still look like I am happy. What do you like, Gaara?" The question took him but surprise, and he had to think about it for a moment before answering.

"Sand... sunsets... the wind... are somewhat material things that calm me and make me feel better." Hinata nodded and folded her arms, resting her elbows on the desk between them.

"Think of these things, and let the positive way they make you feel influence your outward expressions. And, try to talk about these things and see if the girl you are with appreciates them too. A common phrase of dating is that opposites attract, but that is untrue. You must share things that you enjoy together to make you want to spend time with each other. There will always be things that make you individuals from each other, but these things should make up their weaknesses with your strengths, and vice versa." Hinata shook her head and smiled. "I know it's a bit deep, but it's a good way to look for a partner that you want with you for life."

"True." Gaara looked thoughtfully at her for a moment before speaking again. "But what if she is not interested in what I am? Do I just end the date there?"

"Oh, no! That would be rude. You do not stand up and leave a dignitary from Iwa if you do not like their initial terms, do you?" Gaara shook his head in the negative, and Hinata continued. "Instead, that's when you use small talk. Those general phrases I mentioned earlier."

"Phrases like what?"

"Things you think she would be interested in. For example, what do you think I would be interested in talking about?" She leaned back and folded her hands as she placed them in her lap. Tilting her head slightly to the the left, she looked at him expectantly. She watched as Gaara slowly examined her face, a blank expression on his face. It gave her no clues as to his thoughts, but she just sat there and waited. It was slightly reminiscent of when she waited for her father to talk to her, but she was fairly certain Gaara was not about to stand up ans start listing off her faults to her. He didn't know her well enough. After a minute of so of silence he seemed to have come to a conclusion.

"You are a shinobi, so first I would try talking to you about techniques that are not secret to our respective villages, as well as training methods and specialties. I would perhaps discuss weapon preferences. If you wished to talk about something else I would try talking about your job. You are a medic nin, and while I know little of healing I'm sure you could carry on a conversation about healing methods while I looked interested."

"Looked interested?" Hinata interjected, a bemused expression on her face.

"It is something that does not catch my interest, although I recognize it's importance to the people in my village and myself." There was something in his tone that made Hinata pause, and she looked at him with a smile that slowly became larger on her face.

"You have a sense of humor under there, don't you?" There was a moment of silence as Gaara's eyes flickered over to the side, and he didn't answer her. It lasted long enough for Hinata to wonder if she had made a misstep, but the dry tone of his voice had sounded just like Neji on the rare occasion he made a joke with her.

"How can I be joking if it's true?" Was his eventual reply. Hinata looked up confusedly at the still dry tone of his voice to see a small smile on his face, and he gave her a tiny nod. Hinata, glad she hadn't killed the mood with her comment, giggled and sat back in her chair.

"That's good Gaara. Humor is a great ice-breaker for many women at the beginning of a date, and most people like humor in their partner." Gaara looked consternated at this comment.

"But I can't tell jokes like Kankuro or Naruto." Hinata smiled at the anxiety she could hear in his voice.

"I'm not saying you have to act like a comedian Gaara. Just that many women can be a bit put off if you are too serious. Not that you should ever treat a relationship like a joke- that can anger a woman." Hinata shook her head, rememering a bad memory of a young man who had done just that to Ino. It had not ended well. "I would simply recommend that you try to find a way to keep the conversation light."

By his expression Hinata could tell he was clueless to what she was trying to say.

"Let's try it, okay? Pretend I'm the middle daughter of a wealthy daimyo. My name is..." Hinata sifted through names in her head. "Himiko Hamagi. We're dining at a nice restaurant, and we have just sat down after you pulled out my seat for me like a gentleman." Hinata straightened her pose and folded her hands in her lap. She visualised the scene as if she was at a formal dinner for the Hyuuga family. Gaara also sat up straighter, and cleared his throat hesitantly.

"Good evening, Ms. Hamagi-"

"No no. We've already been introduced by this point. Try starting off with something more natural. Like, how I like the restaurant, or if I am too hot or cold." Hinata interrupted patiently, making sure her voice was soft and calm. This was going to take a while.

After a few more bungled starts Gaara was able to pleasantly start a conversation with her, and she decided not to point out that his jaw was clenched and his fists balled in his lap from his frustration. She decided to ask him a question about his work, playing the role of a soft-spoken, timid young girl. Or, as she wryly told herself, she was reverting back to herself at fifteen.

It turned out to be a good move, as Gaara was able to warmly and eloquently discuss his duties as a Kazekage and tie it in to how he felt for his people and his wish to protect them. Hinata felt herself listening attentively, almost at the edge of her seat, taken in by this rare display of enthusiasm from Gaara. She had never seen such a spark in his eyes before this, or use hand gestures to describe things as her spoke. A few minutes into it he suddenly paused and almost sheepishly brought his hands back down to the desk, clasping his hands together.

"But what about you... Hamagi? What do _you_ do that makes you happy?" Hinata smiled, glad that he still kept his eyes on her. Though it was amusing that he had so suddenly pulled himself back and now asked 'Himiko' what she enjoyed.

"Um... I enjoy embroidery, weaving, and p-painting, Kazekage. Watercolors of my family's gardens are especially s-soothing and-"

"Why are you stuttering?" Gaara suddenly asked, giving her a perplexed look and frowning. "You did not stutter earlier."

"It's just part of the character Gaara. Some of these girls will be very intimidated, talking to someone of such high rank as a Kazekage, and may have a hard time talking to you until they become more comfortable with your presence." Hinata explained, deciding to not mention that she stuttered for years and still did on occasion when she became too flustered. Gaara kept frowning for a moment before lifting his shoulders in a small shrug.

"Whatever you say." Was his only comment. Hinata noticed that he seemed troubled by something, but was unsure if she should ask him about it or not. She decided it wasn't her place to continually pry into his thoughts. While it was nice to just casually talk to him like this, he was still the Kazekage and her current employer, and she instead looked at the small clock sitting on his desk.

"Oh my, I didn't realize how long we've been in here." Hinata said softly, surprised at how quickly time had passed since dinner. Gaara looked as if he had been shaken from some train of thought. Looking up slowly, he followed her gaze to the clock and blinked.

"It's been over an hour, now." He said, also surprised. There was a moment of silence before Hinata stood up, tugging at the hem of her shirt and looking at the door.

"I should get going. Busy day tomorrow, and I'm thinking of doing a pop quiz for my class." Gaara nodded and stood up from his chair and walked around to open the door with Hinata trailing behind him.

"How is that going? I haven't read the latest report yet."

"Wonderfully. They are all very enthusiastic as well as receptive, and have been making a lot of progress since the report you were sent last week." Hinata smiled, happy to talk about the training and praise her students. Gaara gave her a small smile back.

"So your students would be something that I could talk about with you." He commented. Hinata laughed at the sly look he gave her.

"Yes. And you did very good today once we got over the beginning bumps." Gaara nodded in acknowledgment of the compliment and let her precede him as they walked down the hall.

"You are a very good teacher." He said quietly, returning the favor. Hinata murmured a, "Thank you," and ducked her head in embarassment. As they came into the living room they saw Temari sitting at the couch, brush quickly moving over a sheet of paper. At the sound of their footsteps she jumped and blew on the last line of ink before rolling it up and tucking it away. Twisting in place she looked over at them and grinned.

"So, how did it go?" Gaara nodded and Hinata smiled, stepping forward to praise Gaara's progress. But Temari held up a hand and chuckled.

"I can already tell it went well if I didn't see any sand floating about." She pointed to Gaara's gourd, innocently propped up next to the couch. Gaara frowned at his sister, transitioning to a scowl as she merely smiled at him. Hinata gave the gourd a quizzical look before turning to Gaara.

"The gourd mirrors your emotions?" Gaara didn't so much as glance at her, keeping his scowl focused on Temari.

"Not as much as it used to. It only reacts when I'm feeling something particularly passionate."

Hinata looked speculatively at the gourd before commenting, "We'll have to bring it into the study during the next lesson to see how much it reacts to you. It could a serious impact during a date, and it would be best to figure that out beforehand." Gaara frowned, but was unable to refute the comment.

"So, when did you two plan the next lesson, Hinata?" Temari asked, standing up from the couch and moving around it to lean on the back.

"We haven't discussed that yet. I'll be busy with a test for my class tomorrow, but perhaps the day after that…?" She looked enquiringly over at Gaara, who gazed at the front door, thinking.

"I'm working on water supply negotiations with some daimyos who live the east, where our few natural wells are. Depending on how that turns out, I may be free the day after tomorrow, or in the next four days." There was an awkward pause, during which Hinata looked uncertainly at him and Temari gave him a pointed look.

"…I'll send a messenger to tell you tomorrow." He said. Both women nodded, Hinata smiling and moving over to the door to grab her bag.

"I'll see you two later then. Good night." Hinata said, giving them a small wave before opening the door and leaving.

As it clicked shut behind her, Temari examined Gaara as he stood next to her. His usual inscrutable expression was back on, giving her no clues to his thoughts. With an internal sigh she straightened up and moved to stand in front of him.

"So? What are your real thoughts on the lesson?" Gaara gave her an exasperated look.

"Hinata already told you the lesson was productive." He told her, glancing away towards the hall as if he was about to leave.

"But I want to know if _you_ felt comfortable, and could see yourself doing any of the things Hinata taught you in a real restaurant with a real young woman. Because we both know the council is getting more agitated by the day. You need to show some sort of initiative before they do it for you." Temari retorted, hands settling on her hips.

Gaara stiffened and looked back at her, his eyes narrowing. "I'm well aware of that, if the amount of snide comments after meetings and numerous letter suggesting this or that girl are any indication." Temari didn't respond waiting for him to give the rest of his answer. After a moment of tense silence between the two he relaxed his shoulders and sighed. "Yes, I think that with Hinata's teachings it will be easier for me to have a girl be attracted to me long enough for me to slip the wedding band on her finger."

"That's a pessimistic view of things. What happened to that 'someone who can love me and support me' girl you had such hopes for a couple weeks ago when Hinata arrived here?" Temari commented with a frown.

"I didn't realize at the time just how inept I am with the opposite sex at the time. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go to bed." He said this firmly, and Temari watched as he walked away and down the hall.

When he was gone, Temari pulled out the letter she had been writing while Hinata and Gaara were doing their lesson. _'Hopefully this will be a mood booster and a confidence booster Gaara.'_ She thought, putting it back in her pocket before heading off to find her own bed.

* * *

So... that's it for now.

I'd just like to throw out there that if any of you become impatient while waiting for a new update, that you can always check my profile. It is always up to date with how far I am with each chapter of any of my stories.

Till next time!

~KC


	10. Chapter 9

**AN:** Because April Fool's is the most ironic day to update this after months of waiting. B)

(More like the beta asked me what the hell in a very subtle polite manner and I finally wrote this.)

Chapter Nine 

The obnoxious beeping of the alarm clock near her head awoke Hinata as she slept in bed that morning. Eyes blearily blinked opened as her hand fumbled to turn it off before sitting up properly in bed, the sheets falling down to rest at her waist. She barely registered the early hour that she had been waking up at for the past two weeks before she automatically slid out of bed. If she lingered she knew the urge to go back to sleep would hit her.

In a few moments her mind was clearer and she moved around her room, pulling on this white shirt, grabbing that pair of beige capris, and putting her last clean pair of scrubs on her bed by her pillow. She made a mental note to do laundry tonight seeing as she would not have to go meet Temari, Gaara, and Kankuro. She paused by her nightstand to look at a binder she had placed there last night. Inside were various papers related to the hospital, as well as things for her class.

She was looking forward to seeing how well they would do on the quiz she had for them today. A mixture of technical descriptions of where certain chakra points were and hands on use with a dummy, she hoped they would once again show her how devoted they were to being better at their job to the advantage of their village. It was nice just to watch their determination sometimes. Hinata picked the binder up and slipped it into a bag, placing her folded scrubs inside too. Well, she would find out in an hour or so.

She bent down and pulled her sandals to her, putting them on quickly and grabbing her bag. With a quick glance around the room to make sure she hasn't forgotten anything, she opened the door and headed to the hospital.

The sun was just rising as Hinata walked down the street, and other villagers walked around her and past her as everyone tried to get to their respective location before the sun came up and started to heat the air. A shinobi with a messenger band on his arm jogged past her, and Hinata wondered when she would see the message Gaara said he would send to her today. It would be nice if they could do their next lesson tomorrow while she was still full of confidence from yesterday's lesson, and had some ideas for the next fresh in her mind. But if he could not, then that was how it had to be. Whatever Gaara was working on as Kazekage was certainly more important than the simple tips she was trying to give him!

"Hey, Tauro, wait up!" Hinata stepped out of the way automatically as two children shot past, a little girl with dark hair chasing after a boy about her age.

"Hurry up Navi, or we'll be late and Sensei will scold us again!" The boy shouted back, and both disappeared around a corner, their shouts quickly fading. Hinata smiled to herself, realizing they must be attending an academy. She had never been late like those two though; Neji made sure the both of them were always early to school and on time getting back to the compound even as children. Hinata looked thoughtfully at the building the two kids had disappeared behind, wondering if she should send her own letter to her cousin. She had already been gone from Konoha for two weeks, and had yet to hear from anyone in Konoha. Perhaps they were waiting for a letter from her first.

Hinata nodded decisively to herself and continued on her way to work, pushing thoughts of letters to the back of her mind until she got off later.

"It's right here on the deltoid, right?" The man placed his index finger on the dummy's arm, continuing, "and if I apply chakra it will heal that muscle along with the trapezius muscle, the triceps, and the acromion muscle." Hinata beamed and nodded approvingly, and the man grinned before stepping back into line with the other eight medics. He had been the last to go, and Hinata was delighted with everyone's results. There had been one or two minor mistakes that had to be corrected, but overall everyone had done wonderfully. And she told them so.

"That was extraordinary work, everyone! I'm more than pleased with your progress." Her class either blushed, grinned or accepted the praise calmly according to their nature, but she could tell they were all happy with the praise. She dismissed them for lunch and turned to clean up a bit.

"I've never seen medic nin look so happy. Did you tell them they were all going on vacation or something?" Hinata turned to see Temari grinning in the doorway.

"Temari! Oh, yes, they just did very well on a quick quiz I assigned them today, so I gave them an early lunch. It's been slow today anyway." Temari nodded and walked forward to hand Hinata a rolled up piece of paper.

"It's from Gaara. He insisted on writing it down even though I already know what it says. He already got those daimyos to back down and agree to his terms for the water distribution, so if you're still free tomorrow night you two can continue with the next lesson." Hinata smiled and nodded, tucking the paper into her bag. She would read it later in case Gaara said anything else, but Temari already told her what she was mainly curious about.

"I don't have anything planned at the moment besides getting some lunch and stopping by the post office." Temari smiled and jabbed a thumb towards the door.

"Really? Sounds like my schedule. Want to grab some lunch together?"

"Alright."

After a few minutes of casual debate, they went back to the smoothie shop in the marketplace. This time they also picked up pre-made sandwiches with their drinks, and sat by the window. As they ate small conversations about the weather, people walking by the window and work were started and stopped. Setting her empty glass down, Temari looked curiously at Hinata.

"So, there's something I've been curious about, Hinata." Looking away from an old lady arguing with a fruit vendor across the street, Hinata turned to look at the older woman.

"What is that, Temari?" She replied, tilting her head and putting her sandwich down onto its wrapper spread out on the table.

"Well, I've heard a few rumors about you being banished from the Hyuuga Clan?" Hinata's eyes widened for a moment before she scowled, catching Temari by surprise. It was the first time she'd seen even a hint of anger in the young woman.

"That's not how it happened at all." Hinata said stiffly, knowing that her family must have spread this rumor around to avoid having to admit that their heir had washed her hands of them and their clan head. "I was the one to tell my father that I was no longer willing to be heiress to the clan, and left. I was not told to do this, or asked to. I was exasperated with the traditions of my family, and I knew that I was heir in name only. My father has wanted my younger sister as heir since before I made genin. I simply made things easier for him." Hinata huffed and placed her palms flat on the table to keep her hands from fisting. She should have known that one of the few times she had stood up for herself would have been twisted around like this.

Temari watched Hinata carefully, knowing the young woman spoke the truth and surprised at the difference in temperament from when Hinata had first arrived here_. 'She's just as fiery as the rest of those Konoha Ninja. She just doesn't let it show all of the time I suppose. Nothing worse than underestimating your enemy.'_ Temari hid a grin behind her sandwich as she took a bite, letting Hinata regain control of her emotions. _'It looks like her father did just that!' _

Hinata took a deep breath and a sip of her smoothie before looking Temari in the eye. "I'm sorry that I got angry. But you must know, as the daughter of a high-ranking shinobi like the Kazekage, and brother to one now, the expectations that come with your position. I did not come easily to the power I have now, and my use of the Byakugan for medical purposes is… unusual for my family. Strength and control in both body and mind are valued by the Hyuuga, and my weakness as a genin, as well as my stuttering, caused my family to treat me with disdain." Temari smiled and leaned forward across the table, almost knocking her glass over, to pat Hinata on the shoulder.

"I get it. Well, I'll let Gaara know the truth. You won't be slandered here, Hinata." Temari gave her a lopsided smile and leaned back.

"Thank you Temari. We've only known each other for a couple weeks intimately, but… you're a really good friend." Hinata smiled gratefully at the Sand kunoichi, and Temari grinned back.

"You too, Hinata. Trust me, you don't even know how much you've done for me." She stood up and grabbed her trash, throwing it into the bin nearby before turning to look at Hinata.

"Well, now that we're done eating, you want to go head to the post office?"

Hinata nodded and stood up to throw her things away, and then walked with Temari out of the restaurant and towards the post office down the street, both woman comfortably chatting about the stalls they passed and the weather again. Both happily thinking with satisfaction on the new friendship established.

At the post office, Hinata purchases the paper and envelope to jot down a letter to Neji, Ino, and Sakura, all asking after their health and what they have been up to, as well as a few general comments about her time in Suna. In Neji's she asks him that if the Hyugga family is telling a different account of the events surrounding her departure, if he could at least make sure all of their friends know the truth.

Temari digs an envelope out of her pocket and hands it over to the person at the desk when Hinata is done. Outside, they part ways until tomorrow, Hinata back to the hospital and Temari back to her brother.

* * *

Chapter Ten up soon? Yes, actually. If it's not up on the 3rd you can all come find me and beat me with a brick, mmkay? (You'll actually be saving me from my Multisim Circuitry homework but you won't know that. Shh, just accept it and clobber me with the brick now.)

Or Review? I don't know.


End file.
